So far as the primary object of this part of the experiment is concerned the results are negative, but incidentally the process of training brought out some facts of a more positive nature.  It was early noticed that some groups of four were much more readily recognized than others, and that some of them were either judged correctly or underestimated while others were either judged correctly or overestimated.  For convenience the fingers were indicated by the letters A B C D, A being the index finger.  The thumb was not used.  Two weights were over each finger.  The one near the base was called 1, the one toward the end 2.  Thus A12 B1 C2 means two contacts on the index finger, one near the base of the second finger, and one near the end of the third finger.  The possible arrangements of four may be divided into three types:  (1) Two weights on each of two fingers, as A12 B12, C12 D12, etc., (2) four in a line across the fingers, A1 B1 C1 D1 or A2 B2 C2 D2, (3) unsymmetrical arrangements, as A1 B2 C1 D2, etc.  Arrangements of the first type were practically never overestimated. B12 C12 was overestimated once and B12 D12 was overestimated once, but these two isolated cases need hardly be taken into account.  Arrangements of the second type were but rarely overestimated—­A2 B2 C2 D2 practically never, A1 B1 C1 D1 a few times.  Once the latter was called eight.  Apparently the subject perceived the line across the hand and thought there were two weights on each finger instead of one.  Arrangements of the third type were practically never underestimated, but were overestimated in 68 per cent. of the cases.

These facts in themselves are suggestive, but equally so was the behavior of the subject while making the answers.  It would have hardly done to ask the person if certain combinations were hard to judge, for the question would serve as a suggestion to him; but it was easy to tell when a combination was difficult without asking questions.  When a symmetrical arrangement was given, the subject was usually composed and answered without much hesitation.  When an unsymmetrical arrangement was given he often hesitated and knit his brows or perhaps used an exclamation of perplexity before answering, and after giving his answer he often fidgeted in his chair, drew a long breath, or in some way indicated that he had put forth more effort than usual.  It might be expected that the same attitude would be taken when six or eight contacts were made at once, but in these cases the subject was likely either to fail to recognize that a large number was given or, if he did, he seemed to feel that it was too large for him to perceive at all and would guess at it as well as he could.  But when only four were given, in a zigzag arrangement, he seemed to feel that he ought to be able to judge the number but to find it hard to do so, and knowing from experience that the larger the number the harder it is to judge he seemed to reason conversely that the more effort it takes to judge the more points there are, and hence he would overestimate the number.