抄録
Tapping movements, when carried out consecutively, constitute a Gestalt and there are many factors determining its segregation and unification. I wished in the following experiment to clarify the temporal factors among them.
The experiment was executed by means of two-targets tapping movements. The important results obtained were as follows.
1. When the tapping movements at two targets were executed at spontaneous, natural rate, a compound form with articulation in figure and ground was built and the meaning of each separate tapping movement disappeared. But in case the movements were carried out at slow or fast rate the compound form above mentioned did not appear. At slow rate two tappings were entirely separated, while at fast they were, not separated at all but built a single whole movement without distinction of figure and ground. So it can be said that tapping movements vary their form according to their rate.
2. The rate of movement consists of Tempo (duration, time interval) and Speed (distance/time), and they could be seen to have respectivel a determining power on the movement-form.
3. Then, which of the two, Tempo or Speed, is a more powerful determining factor? The results of experiment were as follows. If Tempo was the same, no matter how Speed was varied, the movement-form was not altered. But even if Speed was kept constant, when Tempo was varied, the movement-form was altered also. Accordingly we can say that Tempo is a more powerful determining factor than Speed.
