Biology / by Patrick Geddes and J. Arthur Thomson.

  • Patrick Geddes
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Biology / by Patrick Geddes and J. Arthur Thomson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    227/268 page 219
    Enough, then, to illustrate what is meant by individually enregistered experience, which we have deliberately kept apart from reflexes, tropisms, constitutional rhythms, and full instinctive capacities—all of them dependent, on their physiological side, on hereditary pre¬ arranged linkages between particular nerve- cells and particular muscle-cells. It is not denied, indeed, that while some forms of instinctive behaviour are exhibited in extra¬ ordinary perfection the very first time—a spider’s prentice web is true to its species— there are others that are improved by repeti¬ tion. But there is an undeniable difference between inborn skill and acquired dexterity. The difficult problem is whether individual registration of acquired dexterities can in any way affect, or find entailment in the racial inheritance. Now to summarise. Looking back along the inclined plane of animal behaviour, we discern two main modes : (a) the expression of enregistered capacities for effective response, and (b) some initiative or fresh experimenta¬ tion. On the one side of the plane or curve we rank simple reactions, simple reflexes, compound reflexes, tropisms, constitutional rhythms, simple instincts, chain instincts, and habituated intelligent behaviour. On the other side of the curve we rank simple tentatives, “trial and error” procedure, non- intelligent experiments, experiential and associative “ learning,” and intelligent be-
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3