< Back to Volume 13, Number 2
Volume 13: Number 2: Article 6
Registration of Actual and Intended Eye Gaze: Correlation with Spiritual Beliefs and Experiences
Gary E. R. Schwartz and Linda G. S. Russek, Department of Psychology,
University of Arizona, Box 210068, Tucson, AZ 85721-0068
Previous research by Schwartz et al. (1995) documented that subjects
could correctly guess, above chance, the presence of an experimenter's
hand placed a few inches above one of their hands in the absence of
visual and auditory information. Were subjects detecting the biophysical
energy of the experimenter's hands and/or the intention of the experimenters?
The present experiments employed a different interpersonal registration
paradigm and examined whether individual differences in detection accuracy
were related to experiences with subtle interpersonal registration (interpersonal
ESP and survival of consciousness experiences). In Experiment 3, 20
male and 20 female subjects received 32 trials of actual eye gazes and
intended eye gazes. Subjects sat with their backs to the experimenters.
The 2 x 2 design (head/back by actual/intended gaze) used a counterbalanced
order. At the end of the experiment, subjects estimated their correct
guesses and also rated their openness to spiritual beliefs and experiences.
Percent correct detections for actual stares was 56% (p < .003);
percent correct detections for intended stares was 60% (p < .001).
There was no correlation between subjects' estimates of their performance
and their actual performance. However, subjects' responses to the questions
such as "have you ever experienced 'ESP' between people such as connected
with a loved one from a distance or having a predictive dream about
someone?" and "have you ever experienced the presence of someone who
has passed away?" were each significantly corrected with their accuracy
in detecting actual and intended eye gaze (r = .47, p
< .002; r = .40, p < .01). These findings suggest that
interpersonal sensitivity may be related to implicit registration of
individuals in physical and energy systems. Since subtle auditory and
other cues may have been involved in these studies, future studies should
examine various sources of possible information and energy cues in this
paradigm.
Keywords: intentionality, energy medicine, spirituality, eye gaze,
dynamical systems
FULL TEXT:
Registration of Actual and Intended Eye Gaze: Correlation with Spiritual Beliefs and Experiences
To purchase back issues contact Allen Marketing & Management: 1-800-627-0629
