ation that he had previously overlooked, responds to this element,
gets good results, and so--perhaps after a long series of
trials--comes finally to govern his action by what seemed at first
utterly insignificant.

Trial and error learning, though often spoken of as characteristically
"animal", is common enough in human beings. Man learns by impulsively
doing in some instances, by rational analysis in others. He would be
at a decided disadvantage if he could not learn by trial and error,
since often the thing he has to manage is very difficult of rational
analysis. Much motor skill, as in driving a nail, is acquired by
"doing the best you can", getting into trouble, varying your
procedure, and gradually "getting the hang of the thing", without ever
clearly seeing what are the conditions of success.

Human Compared With Animal Learning

Fairly direct comparisons have been made between human and animal
learning of mazes and puzzles. In the maze, the human subject has an
initial advantage from knowing he is in a maze and has to master it,
while the rat knows no more than that he is in a strange place, to be
explored with caution on the odd chance that it may contain something
eatable, or something dangerous. But, after once reaching the food
box, the rat begins to put on speed in his movements, and within a few
trials is racing through the maze faster than the adult man, though
not so fast as a child. Adults are more circumspect and dignified,
they make less speed, cover less distance, but also make fewer false
moves {314} and finish in less time. That is in the early trials;
adults do not hold their advantage long, since children and even rats
also reach complete mastery of a simple maze in ten or fifteen trials.

The chief point of superiority of adults to human children, and of
these to animals, can be seen in the adjacent table. It is in the
_first trial_ that the superiority of the adults shows most clearly.
They get a better start, and adapt themselves to the situation more
promptly. Their better start is due to (1) better understanding of the
situation at the outset, (2) more plan, (3) less tendency to "go off
on a tangent", i.e., to respond impulsively to every opening, without
considering or looking ahead. The adult has more inhibition, the child
more activity and responsiveness; the adult's inhibition stands him in
good stead at the outset, but the child's activity enables him to
catch up shortly in so sim