CHAPTER VII. THE SIGNS OF MENTAL ACTION, THEIR OBSERVATION, mental IN former lectures I have spoken of the signs that Visible you may observe as indications of the physical condition, signs of and the brain state of a child, many points in physiog- states. nomy have been described as indicative of the child's development, and various movements and postures of the body have been given as signs of the condition of the nerve-system. I must now direct your attention specially to such actions as indicate the mental state and functions of the brain. action ex As stated in former lectures, all visible expression All mental of mental states, and mental action, is by movement pressed by and results of movement; it may be useful to give movement. examples of such mental signs as may be observed in school children. We have now to describe special series of movements, and their relations to surrounding objects, and actions in other people. As a means of giving a practical bearing to my remarks, and to encourage your own observations, I do not propose entirely to dissociate action in the body of a mental kind from that effecting other purposes. It will be found that this association of the two kinds of action is useful in considering the practical questions of management; it will be shown that when the child's Mental action. habits are too little varied in mental acts it is well to state regu- cultivate more varied general action, as in the movelated by ments induced by cricket and other games of skill, whereas when mental action is too vague and various, when spontaneous thoughts wander vaguely, and are not readily coordinated by circumstances, it is useful to render the movements in play and exercise more uniform, i.e. less exciting. We may thus discover the principles by which we may judge what employments are likely to prove exciting. Of course in each case the practical outcome of your management must be observed, still, it is useful to form your plans of action upon some definite principles, and to know what facts to observe and how to judge of their relative value. Classes of movements. Uniform series of acts. There are four great classes of movements considered in relation to the time of action of the visible parts of the body. (1) Uniform series. (2) Augmenting series. (3) Diminishing series. (4) Action adapted by circumstances; each of these modes of action will demand our separate consideration. A Uniform series of actions is seen when the individual does the same things over and over again. Walking is a uniform series of acts, and is an example of the kind of action often called "automatic," for walking may occur almost without any stimulation through the senses, at any rate without such stimulation as produces "conscious impressions". One reason why walking is not necessarily an intelligent act is because it is a uniform. series of acts, i.e. a repetitive action, and it may occur without much control through the senses, a deaf man may walk in darkness, walking may occur to a great Walking. extent independently of external impressions. Walking and talking are two series of acts that may occur in an individual at the same time, the former may be a uni action. work. form series while the latter is much varied. For chil- Uniform dren, walking may be varied by running and playing. To vary the more mechanical action, may lessen the amount of spontaneous thinking at the time, and lead to recreation of the mental faculties. Similar characters may be found in manipulative processes used as a means of training. In sloyd work making a peg uni- Sloyd form on every side is rightly placed early in the course, because it involves a uniform series of acts in cutting the wood equally on every side. To perform an action with. exact uniformity is a result of training, and is a great advance upon the child's natural spontaneous action very akin in its nature to mental action. To make a Uniformwooden spoon is not to perform a uniform series of acts. ity and spontaDancing is a less uniform action than walking. The neity. game with a ball that a child plays by himself is a more uniform series of acts than cricket. In some people Cricket. conversation is very uniform and slightly varied, and the vocabulary very limited. Some of the awkward "habits" "Habits." of children are the repetition of uniform acts, such as lateral movements of the head, grinning, shrugging of the shoulders, frowning, putting the fingers in the mouth, etc., such uniformly repeated actions being apparently spontaneous, and not readily controlled by impressions from without, are not adapted to the social circumstances. In teaching young children in a sloyd class it seems necessary to cultivate uniform and often repeated actions, which thus become more exact and uniform, a good training is thus effected, their spontaneous action is thus brought under control by what is said to them and by the sight and touch of objects, this is a useful kind of training. With children the endeavour of the teacher must always be to regulate their action through the senses; children are full of spon Spontane- taneous movement, it is easier to coordinate these at first to a few uniform actions than to the many complex acts which constitute mental expression. ous action rendered uniform. Uniform action taught. Uniformity of a series of acts, or the frequent repetition of an act, is often useful. An action often repeated may become more exact, i.e. it is not quite uniform but becomes more like the copy each time it is repeated. Uniformity is antithetical to spontaneity and to augmentation of a series of acts. Uniform series of movements may at first have to be produced in the child by impressions from without, i.e. they must be taught, they may then be said to be conscious movements, or voluntary, as in the child who is being taught to walk, to speak, or to make a wooden peg, later, after frequent repetition, they are said to become automatic because they occur upon less external impression. You may make such automatic action again "conscious or voluntary"-break the uniformity of the action, make the child jump or run; The probably thinking may be similarly automatic. method of making a uniform unconscious line of action crease of again voluntary is by producing some impression upon Increase and de conscious ness. the individual, the consciousness seems to correspond to the construction of some (diatactic) new arrangement among the nerve-cells getting them ready for some new mode of action. Either walking, playing a game, or talking may become too uniform. On the other hand we often need to remove or to reduce the consciousness of action in a certain direction, this may be effected by frequent repetition under the least possible stimulus. Social manners are rendered more exact, and such action becomes more uniform, and less conscious, by frequent repetition, so that finally the action does not interfere with thinking on other matters. acts. Uniform series of acts, whether mental or motor, are Uniform the outcome of action in comparatively few brain-cells, mental but these nerve-cells perform more work than when the acts done are more varied in their series. In trying to remove some uniform action or fixed habit, note what stimulation produces it, whether it occurs without any stimulation, or upon every stimulation, as is sometimes the case; it is also well to try what action may most easily be substituted for that which we wish to remove. This subject will be referred to again further on. Among uniform acts of an objectionable kind we may include the frequent use of slang words. Kinder I have seen a little boy five years old, standing before A dreamy me in a Kindergarten, with a narrow forehead, mouth boy in open, teeth grinding, face dull and expressionless, with garten. creases on his forehead from irregular muscular action and frowning, his eyes directed towards me, but constantly moving irregularly; he was thin and of slightly defective make. When spoken to these irregular movements ceased, and his facial expression was good. When he sat down to his paper-folding, he worked away readily. Teacher said "he was dreamy, and did not work well". There is great hope of improvement for such a child, for his irregular action can be controlled; suitable training may make a good man of such a boy, and the teacher is cultivating his power of attention to Kindergarten work. To replace a uniform action, is to cause a new line A new line of action. The conditions under which a new line of of action. action is most readily brought about are, where the nerve-centres are well nourished but stimulated to the least possible amount through the senses-the brain is thus left free and unoccupied. Previous training, brain more apt for i.e. previous impressions, make the |