An outline of psychology / [William McDougall].

  • McDougall, William, 1871-1938.
Date:
[1923]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: An outline of psychology / [William McDougall]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    70/490 (page 46)
    It is almost impossible to describe actions which show these five marks of behavior, especially the third, fourth, and fifth, in purely objective terms, that is, without using words which attribute to the animal certain modes of experience. We natur¬ ally say that the animal is seeking and anticipating the new situation which is the natural end or goal of its behavior, and that it directs its actions toward this goal. When we observe movements which exhibit all of these five peculiarities, we do not hesitate to regard them as manifestations of Mind or mental activity. No movements of lifeless things combine these five peculiarities; and it is just because the move¬ ments of plants do not unmistakably show them that we hesi¬ tate to ascribe Mind to plants. A sixth mark of behavior, which is less easy to observe, has been very commonly accepted as the most trustworthy indica¬ tion of mental life; namely, some degree of improvement in the effectiveness of behavior, when it is repeated by the animal under similar circumstances. When such improvement occurs, when, on the recurrence of a particular situation, the animal is excited on this second occasion to behavior which attains the same natural goal, but attains it more rapidly, more directly, more neatly, with fewer steps and less of seemingly random move¬ ment, we naturally say that it has profited by its experience on the former occasion. No doubt, when such improvement may be observed, it provides the surest criterion; but, without this sixth mark, we may infer mental activity from the other five. And it is to be noted that this sixth mark implies the others; if the train of movements did not present those characters, we should not be able to infer Mind from the sixth alone. For many machines, as every one who has driven a new automobile knows, improve in efficiency with repetition of their movements, owing to the nicer adjustment of parts to one another which results from friction and wearing of the surfaces.