Attention / by W.B. Pillsbury.

  • Pillsbury, W. B. (Walter Bowers), 1872-1960.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Attention / by W.B. Pillsbury. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    135/374 (page 117)
    attention. The far-away look in the eye is very character- istic, and in conversing with a person is as effective in stopping one’s remarks as a request. Delicate estimations of the distance of the object looked at are possible to a very surprising degree. The data for these estimations are always extremely slight. It is only the relative amount of white sclerotic and conjunctiva that shows on either side of the dark iris, as the eyes are converged or turned to one side or the other. The changes in these distances are very small, and it would be very difficult to notice them even if that were the object of the moment. But again the estimation is never made in that way. One is seldom if ever conscious of studying the area of white exposed on the outside or inside of the eyes. As soon as the posi- tion of the eyes is noticed, we have the impression that the person is looking at an object at a certain distance. We think nothing of the position of the eyes and usually almost as little of the eyes themselves. What does come into mind is that there is some interesting object at a certain distance from the person observed and this alone. Another excellent illustration of the participation of other mental processes than sensations in the perception is given by the familiar process of reading. Experiments by Erdmann and Dodge, by Huey and others, have shown that a very small proportion of the matter read from the printed page is really seen in the individual letters. Nearly all is supplied by association under definite subjective and objective laws. Erdmann and Dodge proved that the eyes in reading do not move constantly and smoothly over the line, but go by a series of short movements with rests between. Reading takes place only when the eyes are at rest. It is quite easy to determine from the length of the line and the number of rests the number of letters which are read at a single glance. It was found that this was considerably greater than the number that could fall at one time upon the area of the retina sensitive enough to permit them to be read. The other letters must, it is