Study of Association in Insanity | Page 5

they are by no means
limited to individual reactions is shown in Table III. by a group of
selected reactions, all given by normal subjects.
TABLE III.
Word combination Reaction time Value of in seconds. reaction.
comfort--happiness 20 5.0% short--long 11 27.9% smooth--plane 16
2.3% woman--lady 40 4.1% hard--iron 12 2.4% justice--judge 20 9.1%
memory--thought 20 8.1% joy--pleasure 18 12.1%
It is apparent, even from a superficial examination of the material, that
the factors which cause variations of reaction time, both in the normal
state and in pathological states, are numerous and complex.
It has been the purpose of this study to establish as far as possible
strictly objective criteria for distinguishing normal from abnormal
associations, and for this reason we have made no attempt to determine
by means of introspection the causes of variations of reaction time.
It would seem that the importance and magnitude of the problem of
association time are such as to demand not merely a crude
measurement of the gross reaction time in a large number of cases, but
rather a special investigation by such exact methods as have been used
by Cattell [1] and others in the analysis of the complex reaction. It
would be impracticable for us to employ such methods in a study so
extensive as this.
[Footnote 1: Mind, Vol. XI, 1886.]
In view of these considerations we discontinued the recording of the
reaction time.
If the association test is to be useful in the study of pathological
conditions, it is of great importance to have a reliable measure of the
associational value of a pair of ideas. Many attempts have been made to
modify and amplify the classical grouping of associations according to

similarity, contrast, contiguity, and sequence, so as to make it
serviceable in differentiating between normal and abnormal
associations.
In this study we attempted to apply Aschaffenburg's [1] classification
of reactions, but without success. Our failure to utilize this system of
classification is assigned to the following considerations: (1)
Distinctions between associations according to logical relations are
extremely difficult to define; in many cases there is room for difference
of opinion as to the proper place for an association, and thus the
application of a logical scheme depends largely upon the personal
equation of the observer; that even experienced observers cannot, in all
cases, agree in placing an association is shown by Aschaffenburg's
criticisms of the opinions of other observers on this point.[2] (2)
Logical distinctions do not bring out clearly the differences between the
reactions of normal subjects and those of insane subjects; logically, the
reaction _bath--ink_, which was given by a patient, might be placed in
the class with the reaction _bath--water_, although there is an obvious
difference between the two reactions. (3) Many of the reactions given
by insane subjects possess no obvious logical value whatever; but since
any combination of ideas may represent a relationship, either real or
imagined, it would be arbitrary to characterize such a reaction as
incoherent.
[Footnote 1: Experimentelle Studien uber Association. Psychologische
Arbeiten, Vol. I, p. 209; Vol. II, p. 1; Vol. IV, p. 235.]
[Footnote 2: Loc. cit, Vol. 1, pp. 226-227.]
The criterion of values which is used in this study is an empirical one.
As has already been explained (p. 8), every word contained in the
frequency tables possesses a value of at least 0.1 per cent, and other
words have a zero value. With the aid of our method the difficulty of
classifying the reactions quoted above is obviated, as it is necessary
only to refer to the table to find their proper values: the value of the
reaction _bath--water_ is 33.9 per cent, while that of the reaction
_bath--ink_ is 0.
Logically the combination _health--wealth_ may be placed in any one
of four classes, as follows:
/ intrinsic / causal dependence health--wealth / \ coordination \ \
extrinsic / speech reminiscence \ sound similarity

But since our table shows this association to have an empirical value of
7.6 per cent, it becomes immaterial which of its logical relations is to
be considered the strongest. It is mainly important, from our point of
view, to separate reactions possessing an empirical value from those
whose value is zero.

§ 6. AN EMPIRICAL PRINCIPLE OF NORMAL ASSOCIATION.
On a general survey of the whole mass of material which forms the
basis of the first part of this study, we are led to observe that the one
tendency which appears to be almost universal among normal persons
is the tendency to give in response to any stimulus word one or another
of a small group of common reactions.
It appears from the pathological material now on hand that this
tendency is greatly weakened in some cases of mental disease. Many
patients have given more than 50 per cent of