Abstract

On each trial the animal subject was allowed to choose between two elevated cups, one with food and one without. Possible odors from the cups were directed away from the cat by regulated air currents, and the choice of the empty cup was occasionally followed by a mild electric shock. The position of the food cup was randomly determined and was not known to the experimenter. On the basis of a preliminary exploratory series, the experimenters undertook to predict in a test series when the cat would predominately choose the food cup (under pleasant conditions) and when the cup without food (under unpleasant conditions). There was a statistically significant difference between these two conditions in the number of correct choices. Successful responses occurred with the highest frequency in sequences of responses in which side habits were least in evidence.