The Parapsychological Association

At the PA conference, Rebecca O’Connell from Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, UK will present her research entitled: “Are people conscious of scopaesthesia? Do the number of starers and the introduction of acoustathesia affect hit rates? A pilot investigation.” O’Connell explores scopaethesia: the sense that someone is staring at you; and acoustathesia: the idea that people are able to sense when they are being spoken about. This research links previous studies about the sense that you are being stared at with the sense that you are being spoken about. O’Connell will discuss the evolutionary advantages to this human skill and the correlations regarding the depth and strength of each experience. With 20 participants in total, this experiment used a one-way mirror, and during the stare trials, every time the participant was a subject to the gaze of the starers, their name was repeated over. Conversely, when they were not being stared at, their name was not repeated. Follow-up included the Participant Experimenter Questionnaire, assessing mood and confidence, amongst other things. How did the participants react to a group of starers saying their name in front of a one-way mirror? All will be revealed at the PA conference. Reserve your space now - registration closes on July 27th!