Attention and interest : a study in psychology and education / by Felix Arnold.

  • Arnold, Felix, 1879-
Date:
1910
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Attention and interest : a study in psychology and education / by Felix Arnold. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    much development. The motor, on the other hand, goes through a number of stages of de- velopment. 1. Moror. Movements may be (1) reflex, or instinctive, (2) ideomotor, or (3) voluntary. (a) Instinctive. In instinctive or primitive attention a stimulus calls forth a motor response without further thought on the part of the indi- vidual. The sensorimotor process is realised automatically by virtue of the inherent nature of the nervous system. A reflex differs from an instinctive movement in that the former is simple in character and usually consists of a single movement, as, the winking of an eyelash, or sneezing. An instinct, however, consists of a series of codrdinated movements which involve a larger area. A sudden sound, for example, may cause a child to turn, lift its hands, and run without. The whole process is realised in a purely automatic manner.” (b) Ideomotor. Such instinctive movements leave motor traces which facilitate further action and control. Moreover, the movements them- 19See Morgan, C. Lloyd, Habit and Instinct. Kirkpatrick, E. A., Fundamentals of Child Study. Hobhouse, L. T., Mind in Evolution, Chs. III, IV. Darwin, C., The Descent of Man, Chs. II, III. Loeb, J., Comp. Phys. of the Br. and Comp. Psych., Ch. XIII. Baldwin, J. M., Development and Evolution, Chs. V, VI. James, W., Princ. of Psych., Ch. XXIV.