Sensory and Perceptual Deprivation
Abstract
Scientific study of man's dependence upon his everchanging world of sensation and information is a recent undertaking. The collective wisdom of civilization long ago recognized variety as the spice of life. Yet only within the last decade has the study of human behavior within an unchanging sensory environment become a subject for study within the experimental laboratory. Initiating this development were the experiments of Hebb and his students at McGill University (8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 4o, 56) Their dramatic and highly publicized findings have kindled the interest of scientist and layman alike. At a time of public concern over alleged changes of behavior and even loyalties of prisoners of war in Korea, these investigators had examined by means of experiment one deceptively innocent aspect of any confinement experience -- the monotony of the surroundings. For as long as they were willing, experimental subjects were paid to do nothing. Their job was to lie on a cot, wearing frosted translucent goggles, hearing nothing but the noise of a fan, with cardboard cuffs extending beyond their fingertips. The subjects were comfortable, rested and fed upon request. The reported effects of such a limited perceptual environment were startling. Subjects: -- were surprisingly unwilling to remain in the experiment - - were said to experience vivid and compelling visions or hallucinations - - were impaired in intellectual functioning and in perceptual organization, particularly upon re-entering the normal world. -- were desirous of stimulation even in inane forms, and -- were more effectively persuaded by lectures advocating the existence of ghosts, poltergeists and extrasensory perception phenomena.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 22, 1964
- Accession Number
- ADB247912
Entities
People
- Thomas I. Myers
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center