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A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
© www.psychologyzone.co.uk 1
At the end of this PowerPoint you will be able to…
– Describe psychological research and explanations for out-of-body experience.
– Evaluate psychological research and explanations for out-of-body-experience.
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
© www.psychologyzone.co.uk 2
What do we mean by
out-of-body experience?
(OBE)
An experience in which a person seems to
perceive the world from a location outside the
physical body (Blackmore, 1982).
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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A feeling that one’s soul is ‘going out’ of their body.
‘Looking down’ on their physical body (known as escomatic).
Travel to other locations e.g. spiritual realms (known as astral projection).
Can clearly see and hear events taking place.
OBE are a common feature of NDE.
Can last from a few seconds to several minutes.
Typical features of an OBE
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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What type of body is it during an OBE?
Some claim the body resembles their own physical body- known as parasomatic OBE
Others do not experience possessing
another body- known as
asomatic OBE
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Psychological and social variables of OBEs
OBEs are more likely to occur in some types of
people than others. E.g. fantasy prone, easily
hypnotised.
15-20% of the population will
experience an OBE.
OBEs can occur to anyone- regardless of
culture, age, gender, religion.
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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When do OBEs occur?
Hypnosis
Mental training
Electrical brain stimulation
Drugs
Whilst awake
Falling asleep
Exhaustion
Stress
Illness/injury
NDE
Natural OBEs (involuntarily)
Induced OBEs (deliberate)
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Explanations for OBE
OR
We will look at each in turn.
(Non-paranormal)
Paranormal explanation
Psychological &physiological explanations
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Paranormal Explanation
The soul (or consciousness) during an OBE actually leaves the physical body.
Evidence for human immortality?
OBEs are a real paranormal phenomena.
Some psychologists (and OBEr) tend to support the ‘survival hypothesis’.
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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A piece of paper with 5 random numbers was placed
in the same room on top of a shelf, not visible
to Miss Z.
Tart, the researcher, arranged for ‘Miss Z’ (a women who often had an OBE whilst sleeping) to spend four nights in a sleep laboratory room.
Tart
Miss Z
25132
Research supporting the paranormal explanation for OBE
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Miss Z during her OBE was able to read the 5 numbers and report it correctly.
Tart claims the odds against guessing a 5 digit number by chance alone are 100,000 to 1.
Miss Z
25132
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Osis and McCormick (1980) designed an optical-image device.
A box that contained an assortment of images.
Looking in, through the lid, one would see them as a jumble of images.
Looking through the viewing slot the jumbled images make a picture (an optical illusion image).
Further research supporting the paranormal explanation
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Alex Tanous, capable of inducing an OBE, sat in a separate room during an OBE state.
Alex was required to identify the image, via the viewing slot which was locked in a distant room.
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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A strain-gauge sensor (records vibrations) was placed in front of the box.
To measure any physical effects caused by the participant’s out-of-body presence
Researchers found 114 of the 197 (58 %) trials. Alex correctly identified the random optical illusion image.
Also during the 114 ‘hits’ the strain gauge activation level was significantly higher than when the subject scored ‘misses’.
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Physiological explanation
OBEs are an illusion caused by electrical activity in the brain.
The angular gyrus is located at the point where the temporal lobe, occipital lobe and parietal lobe meet. This is region is known as the Temporal Parietal Junction (TPJ)
Malfunctioning of the right angular gyrus can trigger an OBE.
Electrical stimulation of the right angular gyrus produces an OBE.
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Research supporting the physiological explanation for OBE
Blanke et al (2002) demonstrated OBEs
can be artificially induced.
Continue
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He accidently electrically stimulated the right angular gyrus
region of a woman suffering from epilepsy.
Continue
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The women reported floating and seeing
herself below, lying on the bed from above.
Continue
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During her illusion, the woman reported seeing her legs
‘becoming shorter’.
Continue
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The role of the angular gyrus is to combine
incoming information from the different
senses.
Continue
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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When this is disrupted you may feel that you are not in your body, hence an OBE can
occur.
Continue
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This is supported by De Ridder et al. (2007)
who was treating a patient for tinnitus by stimuating the TPJ
Continue
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The patient experienced a sensation of
disembodiment- the self being separated from
the body.
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Psychological explanation
Offers a cognitive theory called ‘models of reality’ to explain OBE.Susan Blackmore
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Psychological explanation
We feel as though ‘we’ ourselves, exists behind our
eyes ‘looking out’ at the world at eye-level.
That is because how we see reality comes from our senses.
This is called the ‘sensory model of reality’
(reality being based on our sense)
However, there are other models of reality…
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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The brain also has the ability to generate other types of ‘models of realities’…
Daydreaming
FantasyMemory
The brain cannot separate the different ‘models of
reality’
The brain chooses the one which is most stable to be
‘reality’
(which is the one that comes from our senses)
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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The currentsensory model of reality
becomes unstable.
E.g. stress or sensory damage (injury),
reduction (sleeping).
A new model of reality is created from memory and imagination.
Our reality can become disrupted under some
circumstances.What has this got to do with OBE?
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Images from memory are recalled from a bird’s
eye-view (think of a beach scene).
This explains why people feel they are outside their bodies
‘looking down from above’ in an OBE experience.
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Research supporting thepsychological explanation for OBE
Blackmore carried out a questionnaire on
students to investigate the relationship between OBE & memory images.
Continue
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Found OBE were more likely to recall dream
images in bird’seye-viewBUT…
Continue
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NOT for recall of real life events images (e.g. describing the
layout of their house).
Continue
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Although she cannot explain the reasons for
this difference!
Continue
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Evaluation: Paranormal Explanation & Research
Replication an issue with Tart’s study on Miss Z
Validity questioned:
• Miss Z moved away. Unable to repeat the experiment by other researchers to test the validity of the findings.
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Evaluation: Paranormal Explanation & Research
Other methodological issues with the Miss Z study
Miss Z, being attached to an EEG machine could not have physically read the numbers. However,as it has been pointed out by skeptics:
Why was the target object in the same room as the participant?
Why was the target object they so close to the participant? Why wasn't an observer also in the room at the time of the experiment?
Why was the target object in the same room as the participant?
Why was the target object they so close to the participant? Why wasn't an observer also in the room at the time of the experiment?
Why was the target object so close to the participant?
Continue
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Evaluation: Paranormal Explanation & Research
For example:
o Tart placed the number on the shelf when Miss Z was already in the room. Could she have glimpsed at the numbers?
o Could she have shined a torch light towards the numbers which might have reflected the numbers in the glass of a wall clock located above the shelf? (As it has been suggested.).
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Evaluation: Paranormal Explanation & Research
Results in the optical-image study not that great!
o The OBE was able to identify the correct picture 114 of 197 (58%) of the times.
o Blackmore (1981) is not impressed with the results. This approximately equal to that expected by chance.
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Evaluation: Physiological and Psychological Explanation & Research
Blackmore’s ‘model of reality’ is questioned.
o Fails to explain how memory images are created in bird's eye views in the first place?!
o Not all memory images are from a bird’s eye view. E.g., one does not recall the roof of their local supermarket when you think of it!
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Evaluation: Paranormal Explanation & Research
Induced OBE are different from natural OBE
Are the same experience?Natural OBE Induced OBE
o In Blanke’s study, the epileptic women, experienced distortions of body part (legs becoming shorter).
o In De Ridder’s study, the patient experience a sensation of disembodiments.
This is not common in
natural OBEs!
A2 Psychology: Out-of-body experience
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Exam questions
1. Explain what is meant by the term ‘out-of-body experience’. (2 marks).
2. Give two explanations for out-of-body experiences. (6 marks)
3. Outline and evaluate research into out-of-body experiences. (4 marks + 8 marks).
More questions and answers at www.psychologyzone.co.uk