The Mind and Its Education

The Mind and Its Education, by
George Herbert

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Herbert Betts
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Title: The Mind and Its Education
Author: George Herbert Betts

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THE MIND AND ITS EDUCATION
by
GEORGE HERBERT BETTS, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology in Cornell College
Revised and Enlarged Edition

New York D. Appleton And Company Copyright, 1906, 1916, by D.
Appleton and Company Printed in the United States of America

PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
Authors, no doubt, are always gratified when their works find favorable
acceptance. The writer of this text has been doubly gratified, however,
at the cordial reception and widespread use accorded to the present
volume. This feeling does not arise from any narrow personal pride or
selfish interest, but rather from the fact that the warm approval of the
educational public has proved an important point; namely, that the
fundamental truths of psychology, when put simply and concretely, can
be made of interest and value to students of all ages from high school
juniors up, and to the general public as well. More encouraging still, it
has been demonstrated that the teachings of psychology can become
immediately helpful, not only in study or teaching, but also in business
or profession, in the control and guidance of the personal life, and in
the problems met in the routine of the day's work or its play.

In effecting the present revision, the salient features of the original
edition have been kept. The truths presented are the most fundamental
and important in the field of psychology. Disputed theories and
unsettled opinions are excluded. The subject matter is made concrete
and practical by the use of many illustrations and through application to
real problems. The style has been kept easy and familiar to facilitate the
reading. In short, there has been, while seeking to improve the volume,
a conscious purpose to omit none of the characteristics which secured
acceptance for the former edition.
On the other hand, certain changes and additions have been made
which, it is believed, will add to the strength of the work. First of all,
the later psychological studies and investigations have been drawn
upon to insure that the matter shall at all points be abreast of the times
in scientific accuracy. Because of the wide use of the text in the
training of teachers, a more specific educational application to
schoolroom problems has been made in various chapters. Exercises for
the guidance of observation work and personal introspection are freely
used. The chapter on Sensation and Perception has been separated into
two chapters, and each subject given more extensive treatment. A new
chapter has been added on Association. The various chapters have been
subdivided into numbered sections, and cut-in paragraph topics have
been used to facilitate the study and teaching of the text. Minor changes
and additions occur throughout the volume, thus adding some forty
pages to the number in the original edition.
Many of the modifications made in the revision are due to valuable
suggestions and kindly criticisms received from many teachers of the
text in various types of schools. To all who have thus helped so
generously by freely giving the author the fruits of their judgment and
experience he gladly renders grateful thanks.
CORNELL COLLEGE,
IOWA.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
THE MIND, OR CONSCIOUSNESS PAGE
1. How the mind is to be known: Personal character of
consciousness--Introspection the only means of discovering nature of
consciousness--How we introspect--Studying mental states of others
through expression--Learning to interpret expression. 2. The nature of
consciousness: Inner nature of the mind not revealed by introspection
--Consciousness as a process or stream--Consciousness likened to a
field--The "piling up" of consciousness is attention. 3. Content of the
mental stream: Why we need minds--Content of consciousness
determined by function--Three fundamental phases of consciousness. 4.
Where consciousness resides: Consciousness works through the
nervous system. 5. Problems in observation and
introspection . . . . . . . . . . 1
CHAPTER II
ATTENTION
1. Nature of attention: The nature of attention--Normal consciousness
always in a state of attention. 2. The effects of attention: Attention
makes its object clear and definite--Attention measures