the object is present, it may itself
be taken as the cause of the word, through association. But when it is
absent there is more difficulty in obtaining a behaviourist theory of
the occurrence of the word. The language-habit consists not merely
in the use of words demonstratively, but also in their use to express
narrative or desire. Professor Watson, in his account of the acquisition
of the language-habit, pays very little attention to the use of words in
narrative and desire. He says ("Behavior," pp. 329-330):

"The stimulus (object) to which the child often responds, a box, e.g. by
movements such as opening and closing and putting objects into it, may
serve to illustrate our argument. The nurse, observing that the child
reacts with his hands, feet, etc., to the box, begins to say 'box' when
the child is handed the box, 'open box' when the child opens it, 'close
box' when he closes it, and 'put doll in box' when that act is executed.
This is repeated over and over again. In the process of time it comes
about that without any other stimulus than that of the box which
originally called out the bodily habits, he begins to say 'box' when he
sees it, 'open box' when he opens it, etc. The visible box now becomes
a stimulus capable of releasing either the bodily habits or the
word-habit, i.e. development has brought about two things: (1) a series
of functional connections among arcs which run from visual receptor to
muscles of throat, and (2) a series of already earlier connected arcs
which run from the same receptor to the bodily muscles.... The object
meets the child's vision. He runs to it and tries to reach it and says
'box.'... Finally the word is uttered without the movement of going
towards the box being executed.... Habits are formed of going to the
box when the arms are full of toys. The child has been taught to deposit
them there. When his arms are laden with toys and no box is there, the
word-habit arises and he calls 'box'; it is handed to him, and he opens
it and deposits the toys therein. This roughly marks what we would call
the genesis of a true language-habit."(pp. 329-330).*

* Just the same account of language is given in Professor
Watson's more recent book (reference above).

We need not linger over what is said in the above passage as to the use
of the word "box" in the presence of the box. But as to its use in the
absence of the box, there is only one brief sentence, namely: "When his
arms a