FIG. 19.—Star for mirror drawing. The mirror breaks up the automatic control previously
developed, and requires one to start out much as the child does at the beginning. See text for
directions.To illustrate this law try the following experiment: Draw on a piece of cardboard
a star, like figure 19, making each line segment two inches. Seat yourself at a
table with the star before you, placing a mirror back of the star so that it can be
seen in the mirror. Have someone hold a screen a few inches above the table so
as to hide the star from your direct view, but so that you can see it in the mirror.
Now reach your hand under the screen and trace with a pencil around the star
from left to right, not taking your pencil off the paper until you get clear around.
Keep track of how long it takes to go around and also note the irregular
wanderings of your pencil. Try this experiment five times over, noting the
decrease in time and effort required, and the increase in efficiency as the
movements tend to become automatic.
Volitional Action.—While it is obvious that the various types of action already
described include a very large proportion of all our acts, yet they do not include
all. For there are some acts that are neither reflex nor instinctive nor automatic,
but that have to be performed under the stress of compulsion and effort. We
constantly meet situations where the necessity for action or restraint runs counter