Open Access

JSON Export

{"created":"2022-01-31T13:03:00.647131+00:00","id":"lit28752","links":{},"metadata":{"alternative":"Studies from the Yale Psychological Laboratory","contributors":[{"name":"Courten, H.C.","role":"author"}],"detailsRefDisplay":"Studies from the Yale Psychological Laboratory 10: 93-95","fulltext":[{"file":"p0093.txt","language":"en","ocr_en":"INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS OF THE TONGUE\nBY\nH. C. COURTEN.\nAmong the many psychological problems as yet only partially solved is that of automatic muscular movement. This is a phenomenon of many different phases, but the most important one, perhaps, is that of automatic movement of the speech organs. So far but little has been done toward its experimental demonstration. Hansen and Lehmann1 2 3 * satisfied themselves of its existence, but obtained no measurements in regard to it. Curtis 2 secured some records showing unconscious movements of the larynx during mental action. These seem to be the only direct investigations of this problem.\nThe apparatus used in my experiments consisted of a Rousselot 8 exploratory bulb (Fig. i) fitted with a long tube connected to a Marey\nFig. i.\ntambour. The bulb was of French make, about x cm. in thickness (measured in the direction of the tube), and 9 sq. cm. in cross section. This size was decided on only after repeated trials with bulbs of different sizes. The records were made on a kymograph.\nSome difficulty was experienced in finding the correct position for the bulb. At first it was placed far back in the mouth near the palate, because it was thought that the greatest movement of the tongue would be manifested there. But while it was in this position the subject showed a tendency to gag, and could not hold the bulb quietly in place. The most convenient and effective position was finally found to be in the front part\n1\tHansen und Lehmann, Ober tmwillkilrliches Fl\u00fcstern, Philos. Stud., 1895 XI 471.\n2\tCurtis, Automatic movements of tke larynx, Amer. Jour. Psychol., 1899 XI 237.\n3\tRousselot, Principes de Phon\u00e9tique Exp\u00e9rimentale, 86, Paris 1897.\n93","page":93},{"file":"p0094.txt","language":"en","ocr_en":"94\nH. C. Courten,\nof the mouth between the teeth and the tip of the tongue. Thus the tongue was in a fairly natural position, and the slightest movement was recorded. The bulb was entirely unaffected, in this position, either by pulse or by respiration.\nThe subject was required to do several kinds of mental work without speaking, such as reading prose and poetry,- thinking out the etymological relations of various English words ( \u2018 exhortation, \u2019 \u2018 advocation, \u2019 etc.), reading Scotch dialect, French, or German, reciting the alphabet, committing verse to memory, etc.\nThe subject was seated in a chair with his back to the instrument and the bulb carefully adjusted in his mouth. The kymograph was then set in motion and the subject was asked to keep his mind as free from thought as possible. After a short tracing had been secured during mental rest, the subject was told to perform some of the tests mentioned above. In all nine experiments were made. The accompanying figures give typical results.\nFig. 2.\nThe first part of the tracing in Fig. 2, as far as the dividing mark, was made during a period of mental rest ; the second part, during the reading of English prose.\nFig. 3.\nFig. 3 shows a record made after the subject had been requested to remain as free from thought as possible ; but after the record had been made he confessed that he had, unintentionally, been thinking of the experiment. The record is significant inasmuch as it shows that movements do occur, in consequence of mental action, without the knowledge of the individual.\nFig. 4.\nFig. 4 shows the results of a second experiment with the same subject as for Fig. 3. In this case, as the relatively straight portion of the trac-","page":94},{"file":"p0095.txt","language":"en","ocr_en":"Involuntary movements of the tongue.\n95\ning seems to show, the subject was successful in suppressing thought. The test producing the undulations consisted in committing verse to memory.\n:\t_________________, _'A.\nFig. 5.\nThe tracing in Fig. 5 shows the physiological effects of reading French, and that in Fig. 6, of reading English. The difference was intensified\nFig. 6.\nby the fact that the English selection was totally devoid of emotional passages.\nFig.\u20187.\nFig. 7 shows a record made while the subject was mentally reciting the alphabet.\nFig. 8.\nFig. 8 shows a record made while reading German.\nThe subjects of this set of experiments were a mechanic, two sophomores, three freshmen, a junior and a professor of Yale College. It is not to be understood from the above figures that all tracings showed an equal degree of movement. It can be said, however, that no record was taken which did not show some movement. It was noticed that the tongue was more strongly influenced during intense thought than during less active thinking, and that reading a dialect, or language unfamiliar to the subject, produced a greater effect than the reading of English. But regardless of all variations in the results obtained, the fact was established that unconscious movements of the tongue do take place during mental action.","page":95}],"identifier":"lit28752","issued":"1902","language":"en","pages":"93-95","startpages":"93","title":"Involuntary movements of the tongue","type":"Journal Article","volume":"10"},"revision":0,"updated":"2022-01-31T13:03:00.647140+00:00"}