clever hans and the supernatural

research in the 80's indicated that supernatural feeling, a "presence in the room," could be replicated easily in the laboratory using magnetic stimulation of the temporal lobe, debunking all things otherworldly as just electrical impulse malfunctions in the brain.

although the research was thorough and widely cited, swedish researchers are now unable to replicate the results of this study using double-blind procedures (i.e., neither subject nor scientist knew who was in the control group, or what the hypothesis was). the researchers debunked the 80's study, saying:

Without such a [double blind] safeguard, "people in the experimental group who are highly suggestible would pick up on cues from the experimenter and they would be more likely to have these types of experiences," says Pehr Granqvist of Uppsala
University, who led the research team.

subtle cues are powerful in experiments and in life - recall clever hans? humans and animals can give and pick up surprisingly subtle ideomotor cues unconsciously. what surprised me was the large percentage of participants indicating a "strong spiritual experience." two-thirds of the control and half of the experimental group indicated such. perhaps this is the power of suggestion on the survey forms at work.

Labels: neuroscience