Double-blind Aura Viewer Test

[FreeChile]

Here's an experiment I have created to test someone's ability to see auras. Let me know if you find any flaws in this double-blind test. I intend to post it on a psychic forum to see their reaction.

1. The tester should not know what he is testing for.
2. Create 3 dummies (maniquins) of a real human being.
3. Cover both the dummy and the real human with a dark cloth completely so the subject can not know the difference. Also number the four covered bodies.
4. In a room with both the real human and the manikins, ask the subject to concentrate and guess which is the human.
5. Have the recorder come out and record the response from the subject. The permitted response is simply the number where he thinks the aura is. The recorder does not know where the human is.
6. At the end, a statistical analyst computes the results. The psychic would have a 25 percent chance of getting the right one every time.

[KingMerv00]

You'd have to figure out a way to prevent the human from moving or breathing in any visable way.

[FreeChile]

mmm, let me think about that one.

[CFLarsen]

Put people behind a screen instead. For starters.

Of course, this will make the aura-viewers run away....

[Donks]

You should first check that the subject can see the aura (Well, claim he can) even with the dark clothing.

[FreeChile]

You'd have to figure out a way to prevent the human from moving or breathing in any visable way.

Maybe, the human could be covered but not really touching the cloth. But in this case, the the psychic may claim that the aura is too close to the body to be visible. Also, we could ask him to breathe very slowly and not move to much to not make any noise.

How about constructing a moving manikin?

[SwissSkeptic]

Originally posted by FreeChile
Maybe, the human could be covered but not really touching the cloth. But in this case, the the psychic may claim that the aura is too close to the body to be visible. Also, we could ask him to breathe very slowly and not move to much to not make any noise.

How about constructing a moving manikin?

Of course you have to completely eliminate all possibilites of cheating, so the humans must be not distiguishable from the dummys. Advising the humans not to move wouldn't be enough. I thought about a screen as well, but the cop-out will probably be that they can't see any auras through the screen.

[FreeChile]

Of course you have to completely eliminate all possibilites of cheating, so the humans must be not distiguishable from the dummys. Advising the humans not to move wouldn't be enough. I thought about a screen as well, but the cop-out will probably be that they can't see any auras through the screen.

In that case, the human should be blind to the experiment, as well. This way he will have no stake in the matter. Although it would be difficult to prevent the human from knowing what is being tested once the psychic starts to speak out loud.

Maybe the psychic should not be allowed to speak.

[SwissSkeptic]

It would be helpful to know what the subject exactly claims to be able to do, i.e. can he/she see the auras even in complete darkness, can he/she see the auras if the person he/she sees is covered with a cloth?

[FreeChile]

It would be helpful to know what the subject exactly claims to be able to do, i.e. can he/she see the auras even in complete darkness, can he/she see the auras if the person he/she sees is covered with a cloth?

In most cases, the cloth couldn't possibly be a problem since very few psychics require that their clients be naked.

I'm not sure about the darkness issue.

Also, some psychics claim they can maniputate chakras and such things. They must be able to see them to do that.

[SwissSkeptic]

Originally posted by FreeChile
In that case, the human should be blind to the experiment, as well. This way he will have no stake in the matter. Although it would be difficult to prevent the human from knowing what is being tested once the psychic starts to speak out loud.

Maybe the psychic should not be allowed to speak.

I was thinking more of unintentional cheating where the subject sees the movements of the human. I think to rule out the movement/ breath factor the cloth/ screen/ whatever shouldn't be attatched to the human itself.

[SwissSkeptic]

Originally posted by FreeChile
In most cases, the cloth couldn't possibly be a problem since very few psychics require that their clients be naked.

I'm not sure about the darkness issue.

Also, some psychics claim they can maniputate chakras and such things. They must be able to see them to do that.

Fair enough. Would a screen or a dark curtain be acceptable for the aura viewer if the subject stood near enough?

...and why not?

[voodoochile]

I would recommend some white noise also. Whether you manage to construct a test which blinds the viewer to motion, there will still be noise from the actual person breathing and minor motions will still rustle any clothing or the cover itself.

Since aura's supposedly glow, it would be best to have the room be as dark as possible also to prevent any minor cheats from giving the game away. Pre-assign the numbers to the seats or have cards on the floor as opposed to labeling the covers themselves as any pattern on the cover will make motion easier to detect.

Edit: If you can do the screen idea, it seems best. You could build the screen from privacy glas like is used in bathroom windows so the object would be visible, but not what it is. Make sure all the dummies and the human are dressed the same in non-descript dark clothing (black sweats) and you might consider having all of them wear identical Halloween masks to prevent small nuances giving clues.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Use an opaque screen, white noise, a strong but pleasant odor, and place the viewer on a large bean-bag seat.

~~ Paul

[Piscivore]

Animatronic dummies that simulate the action of breathing. And maybe fidget a little.

Dummies and human facing away from viewer.

[Mercutio]

Originally posted by Piscivore
Animatronic dummies that simulate the action of breathing. And maybe fidget a little.

Dummies and human facing away from viewer. Of course, animatronic dummies emit an aura....

Actually, that is only an excuse after the fact. My point is, make sure that the subject, when not blind to the conditions, is able to make the distinction between human and dummy. Then redo the experiment with blinding.

[geni]

Auras are meant to extend about an inch from the body. Have a screen that cuts off 1/2 an inch from one of the edges of the person (say to of the head or the back if they are sitting in a chair).

[voodoochile]

Originally posted by geni
Auras are meant to extend about an inch from the body. Have a screen that cuts off 1/2 an inch from one of the edges of the person (say to of the head or the back if they are sitting in a chair).

Heck, just have them all behind screens except for a hole they can put their arms through. Cover the arms in identical covers with gloves. It shouldn't be hard to immobalize the arms and fingers so nothing moves by accident.

[FreeChile]

Also, some aura viewers claim certain individuals like the Pope, The Dalai Lama, Robert Bruce, etc, have special auras with certain colors.

This would be a simple one to test. All we need is one of these individuals to volunteer as the odd ball. Both the control group and odd ball would wear cat burglar outfits.

The whole idea is to successfully choose the odd ball from the group.

[c4ts]

Originally posted by KingMerv00
You'd have to figure out a way to prevent the human from moving or breathing in any visable way.

Design dummies that fake the breathing.

[edit:] Beaten to it!

[ceo_esq]

SkepticReport.com published a detailed account of a similar experimental protocol last summer, which garnered praise from Randi. Here's the article (http://www.skepticreport.com/psychics/oz.htm).

Doesn't this thread belong in the "General Skepticism and the Paranormal" forum?

[Z]

What, exactly, does this thread have to do with 'Religion and Philosophy'?

Can we get a Mod to move this thread?

[FreeChile]

zaayrdragon said:

What, exactly, does this thread have to do with 'Religion and Philosophy'?

Where do you think it belongs? Why not here? After all, auras, life-force, energy, chakras, are all spiritual beliefs. Why wouldn't this be connected with religion and philosophy?

[FreeChile]

How about applying an anesthetic to the subjects so they can't move? Is this possible--assuming the individuals agree to it? Will there be any involuntary movements in this case?

[RussDill]

Just have a gloved pinky stick through a wooden hole. It would not be difficult to conceal which gloved pinky belongs to a human.

[Z]

Originally posted by FreeChile
Where do you think it belongs? Why not here? After all, auras, life-force, energy, chakras, are all spiritual beliefs. Why wouldn't this be connected with religion and philosophy?

Um, energy is not a 'spiritual belief' - energy is how our computers are working right now.

Anyway, this would belong, I would think, under science, or one of the Challenge sections, or something. Not here. Auras are, after all, a pseudo-scientific concept.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by CFLarsen
Put people behind a screen instead. For starters.

Of course, this will make the aura-viewers run away....

They'd claim the screen blocks the aura.

For that matter they could claim that mannequins have auras.

[FreeChile]

zaayrdragon said:

Um, energy is not a 'spiritual belief' - energy is how our computers are working right now.

Below are the definitions of aura and nimbus. Aura comes from the Greek word air. Like spirit, which comes from the Latin word breath. Also nimbus, which comes from the Latin word cloud. These all have a spiritual connotation. This is the meaning that the new age gives to these words. Even the concept of energy is re-defined in this context. It is not the physical concept as in E = mc^2 but in some cases the concept of prana or life force or chi. In some cases it is said to be the energy force that animates the physical body. This is the energy I am referring to.

In fact, in many cases, those who claim to see auras need to be in a special state to do it. This basically means meditation, special training, or the endowment of some unique skill.

aura

2 : a luminous radiation : NIMBUS
4 : an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being

nimbus

1 a : a luminous vapor, cloud, or atmosphere about a god or goddess when on earth b : a cloud or atmosphere (as of romance) about a person or thing
2 : an indication (as a circle) of radiant light or glory about the head of a drawn or sculptured divinity, saint, or sovereign
3 a : a rain cloud

[Z]

Originally posted by FreeChile
Below are the definitions of aura and nimbus. Aura comes from the Greek word air. Like spirit, which comes from the Latin word breath. Also nimbus, which comes from the Latin word cloud. These all have a spiritual connotation. This is the meaning that the new age gives to these words. Even the concept of energy is re-defined in this context. It is not the physical concept as in E = mc^2 but in some cases the concept of prana or life force or chi. In some cases it is said to be the energy force that animates the physical body. This is the energy I am referring to.

In fact, in many cases, those who claim to see auras need to be in a special state to do it. This basically means meditation, special training, or the endowment of some unique skill.

aura

2 : a luminous radiation : NIMBUS
4 : an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being

nimbus

1 a : a luminous vapor, cloud, or atmosphere about a god or goddess when on earth b : a cloud or atmosphere (as of romance) about a person or thing
2 : an indication (as a circle) of radiant light or glory about the head of a drawn or sculptured divinity, saint, or sovereign
3 a : a rain cloud

Yeah, I was just picking nits.

I used to see auras. The 'special state' I was in was a massive chemical imbalance during puberty. According to the doctors, it was a perceptual shift allowing me to detect body heat and ambient 'energy' around each person via eyesight (I also lost the ability to discern between similar shades - which I never recovered). But aura vision faded out once my chemical imbalance was corrected.

Of course, that may not be the same thing mystics claim to see.. Oh well.

[FreeChile]

Zaayrdragon said:

Yeah, I was just picking nits.

I used to see auras. The 'special state' I was in was a massive chemical imbalance during puberty. According to the doctors, it was a perceptual shift allowing me to detect body heat and ambient 'energy' around each person via eyesight (I also lost the ability to discern between similar shades - which I never recovered). But aura vision faded out once my chemical imbalance was corrected.

Of course, that may not be the same thing mystics claim to see. Oh well.


Oh. So we have at least one thing in common.

I was also diagnosed as having a chemical imbalance. The doctor said to me that my hallucinations were the result of it and not the result of having experimented with meditation. The fact is that I had never experienced any such things until I experimented with “energy� and the whole shebang. I questioned the doctor’s diagnosis, stopped the medication, and stopped the Yoga practice. Guess what? The hallucinations went away by themselves and I feel slowly returning to normal. The doctor had said that these things would have happened to me around my age and that it had been due to nothing I did.

I am not saying there is anything mystical about my whole experience but that the doctors were as wrong as the mystics in this case. I feel the chemical imbalance approach may be inappropriate in many cases. Doctors are blind sighted on this. They seem to be observing simply the correlation between a physical imbalance and the experience where they could also be making a connection between the patient's behavior and the experience.

Perhaps we should start a thread on the topic of "Meditation and Mystical Experiences." and another on "Chemical Imbalance of the Brain." Maybe these threads already exist here. Well, you've been on this forum longer than me. Can you tell me if they exist?

[Z]

Ha - I don't pay that much attention - though I'm pretty sure Ian has done a meditation thread before.

I DO know that no 'chemical imbalance' or 'detection of infra-red' could have adequately explained the different 'colors' and patterns I saw. I say 'colors' because I didn't actually detect colors, per se, but rather differences in the translucent field around someone that felt like colors. It's almost like having a sense that no one else has, because I have no way to explain how it appeared without resorting to color analogies.

It is quite apparent, though, that whatever it was, it was tied to puberty for me; once puberty was over, I lost it. How was it for you?

[FreeChile]

zaayrdragon asked:

It is quite apparent, though, that whatever it was, it was tied to puberty for me; once puberty was over, I lost it. How was it for you?

In my case, I saw it as being related to the power of suggestion. I had read some stuff, practiced some more stuff, experienced some things I could not explain, and made connections that were not really there. Yet there are many things about the whole experience I can not yet explain and I am not sure I ever will.

So I question everything.

Now, zaayrdragon, do you think you would have passed the aura test suggested in this thread and won the million dollar prize offered by JREF? It looks like you developed abilities not everyone has.

[Z]

Well, that's an excellent question. I think I could have passed it, but not if there was a wall involved. I remember that heavy coats dimmed whatever it was I was seeing, but walls blocked it entirely. The initial experiment would work, though - I never once saw auras on non-living things.

It's just too bad most kids who might be going through this are either a) convinced they're just 'seeing things', b) being told that it's wrong, or c) aren't aware of the JREF challenge.

:D

I'd say it's a valid test, and no honest viewer ought to turn it down or fail it. IF what they're seeing is the same thing I was seeing.

[FreeChile]

Was it ever suggested that you could have been halluciating or that the power of suggestion or some other explainable phenomenon was at work in your case? If so how, how was it handled by you and others?

[Z]

Well, aside from my peers - who accepted it with very little proof (I had unusual credibility, and I think I could have told them I was an alien-baboon hybrid and they'd have believed me :( ) - the first adult to take notice of my 'abilities' was our school psychologist, who I was seeing ostensibly for 'speech therapy'. She, at first, dismissed it as childish imagination; but on a particulary good day (and I have no idea what made this ability stronger or weaker) I was able, over the course of an hour, to tell her whether an adult or a child was about to pass her single office window, by pointing directly to where I saw/felt the aura moving. I'd point at roughly where I sensed the head and declare, "kid" or "adult", and when they passed the window, I was right - every single time.

(This was a school comprised of trailers, so there was a bit of traffic past her window, even during class time.)

Incidentally, this was one of the ONLY times I was able to sense an aura through walls - normally, I had to have line-of-sight, and on bad days, heavy clothing or coats could interfere with the ability.

Anyway, after I was able to make that demonstration, she referred me to specialists (I have no idea who they were with, anymore; all I can remember now is lab coats and sterile rooms) who came to the conclusion that I was suffering major chemical imbalance from puberty combined with metabolic problems from ADHD, that was causing a 'perceptual shift' letting me 'see' body heat. The problem with that theory, was that I could use it to recognize specific familiar individuals, to recognize moods and general health (just towards the last months I had this 'gift'), and that no amount of 'chemical imbalance' is going to so radically alter the structure of your optics to allow you such major vision changes without probably blinding you in the process.

Honestly, I think they were just fishing for an explanation that didn't involve having to admit something weird was going on.

Not long after that particular battery of tests, my parents decided I'd had enough, and ordered the school and the doctors to leave me be; they shortly thereafter moved to another city, and I only had a year or two left before puberty finished with me to enjoy this 'aural sense'. (The girls thought I was a sweet, sensitive guy.)

The only strange thing with my vision now - other than a peripheral field of about 5 extra degrees on each side - is that I can't tell two close shades apart - especially dark shades - and I tend to be more 'empathic' than most people - I can quickly 'sense' what mood people are in without trying. I can only assume (from a skeptical standpoint) that there is some signal - maybe pheremonal or something? - that I pick up on and have learned to read without being aware of it. Though, ironically, when it comes to social situations and body language - CLUELESS. I had a girl hit on me for YEARS, and I never knew it. Apparently all my friends knew, and decided it was funny watching me COMPLETELY MISS the signals... Ah, well.

I've done what research into this that I could, and I frankly have no proper explanation for what happened to me. The 'chemical imbalance' thing doesn't cut it, and I know I wasn't deluded - but, by everything I can find, there should have been no way for me to do what I did. I'm one of the most skeptic people now when I encounter 'aura readers' precisely because I remember what it was really like. For example, there's no such thing as 'common aural colors' - no two people share the same pattern, nor the same 'colors' for moods or health. There are similarities, but invariably, each person I dealt with had one or two moods or situations where what I 'sensed' was vastly different from their peers. And the ability waxes and wanes for reasons I don't know, sometimes spontaneously coming into major focus, other times barely existing as a flicker, and of course, going out altogether, with no rhyme or reason.

Now, as to your initial experiment - there ARE types of dummies that could be set up to 'breathe' and 'twitch', perhaps through some sort of remote puppeteering - but you'd be getting into an expensive test. You could also put the dummies and person into a dark room - my experience was that auras were unaffected by ambient light (which really spooked out my friends - they thought I had killer night vision at first, until I fell over the coffee table three times. All I could see were them - and the dog). You could also permit them only a quick glimpse somehow - just brief enough to catch an aura, but not long enough to pick up on breathing or movements. There's no 'tuning in' to auras - you either see them or you don't. Well, whatever it was I was seeing was like that - you either saw it, or you didn't. Just a second's glimpse would be enough to spot an aura instead of a dummy.

Of course, this will drive most 'aura readers' away instantly, I think - I really doubt there are many adults at all that have whatever it is I had as a kid. And as I expressed before, most kids with it are either keeping their mouths shut, not being believed, or don't know about tests like this anyway.

[Chocolate Chip]

Here's my suggestion:

1-NO Mannaquin's.
2-Large hall/gymnasium type enclosure.
3-Enclosure must be pitch black.

Have target stand at a random spot in the enclosure. Turn lights off so enclosure is pitch black. Blindfold the testee, bring him into the enclosure, remove blindfold. If testee can see the aura, he/she should be able to walk to and touch the target.
Keep repeating until satisfactory results for or against are met.

[Z]

Originally posted by Chocolate Chip
Here's my suggestion:

1-NO Mannaquin's.
2-Large hall/gymnasium type enclosure.
3-Enclosure must be pitch black.

Have target stand at a random spot in the enclosure. Turn lights off so enclosure is pitch black. Blindfold the testee, bring him into the enclosure, remove blindfold. If testee can see the aura, he/she should be able to walk to and touch the target.
Keep repeating until satisfactory results for or against are met.

The only catch there is, it's awful hard to make any above-ground structure PITCH black inside... but it CAN be done.

That's not bad at all, CC!

...

Then, just to 'fark' with the subject, have a dozen or so mannequins, several strobe lights, and get the subject drunk first... :D

[Chocolate Chip]

Originally posted by zaayrdragon
The only catch there is, it's awful hard to make any above-ground structure PITCH black inside... but it CAN be done
Perhaps a below ground area? Or, if above ground any windows can be covered with black material duct-taped to the frame?
Then, just to 'fark' with the subject, have a dozen or so mannequins, several strobe lights, and get the subject drunk first...:D

Oooooh !! ScienceRave !!! :eek:

[FreeChile]

CC suggested: 3-Enclosure must be pitch black.


Wouldn't our ability to adapt to the dark give the viewers an advantage here? We can all see objects in the dark after some adjustment.

[geni]

Originally posted by FreeChile
Wouldn't our ability to adapt to the dark give the viewers an advantage here? We can all see objects in the dark after some adjustment.

No you can't. Try going to the bottem of a cave and turning the lights of.

[Chocolate Chip]

Originally posted by FreeChile
Wouldn't our ability to adapt to the dark give the viewers an advantage here? We can all see objects in the dark after some adjustment.
Not if there is absolutely no light available:
http://nasaexplores.nasa.gov/show_912_student_st.php?id=040504154415
The eye has to have the ability to adapt to changing situations. At night, the eye adjusts the light gathering capabilities to allow more light in, so the rods and cones can be used. If there is no light, the rods and cones are not activated, so the brain sees darkness.
The tricky part would be having absolutely no light allowed into the enclosure at all, such as cracks under a door, slits between curtains, things like that. The only "light" there should be is that of the "aura".

[geni]

Originally posted by Chocolate Chip

The tricky part would be having absolutely no light allowed into the enclosure at all, such as cracks under a door, slits between curtains, things like that. The only "light" there should be is that of the "aura".

The UK has a few old mines which you can get guided tours around you could probably arange to hire one for any test.