Children of this age, four to eight years, will count in either way, and sometimes seem at a loss themselves to know where to begin.

In one school room where this experiment was tried the teacher incautiously asked one child to count on his fingers, while all the other children in the room watched eagerly to see what he would do.

He began with the little finger--and so did every child in the room after him.

In another case the same error was made by the teacher, and the child first asked began with the thumb.

Every other child in the room did the same, each following, consciously or unconsciously, the example of the leader.