About This Project
Ever had a hunch that turned out to be right but you didn't know why? Ever follow your instincts successfully but didn't know how you knew it was the right thing to do? With the Inner Intelligence Project, we are investigating where this knowledge is coming from, and whether we have unconscious knowledge hidden beyond the reach of our conscious mind. In 2012 our lab published a study about our discovery of an amazing and unexpected tool which allows us a rare window into our unconscious minds: a Ouija board. For more info on our project, visit our website at InnerIntelProject.orgAsk the Scientists
Join The DiscussionWhat is the context of this research?
We would like to run two (maybe three) further studies based on our original project. The first would investigate the kinds of information that are (or are not) easily learned by the unconscious mind. The second would see what conditions affect the retrieval of unconscious knowledge, including such things as a player’s cultural background. We would also like to run a third experiment if we reach our initial funding goal. This third experiment would explore the collective unconscious — e.g., whether we can combine the unconscious knowledge of several people without their being aware of this.
What is the significance of this project?
You know a great deal more than you are consciously aware of. The idea of a hidden mind directing our lives is not a new idea, but is one which hasn't been easy to study in a rigorous way. We believe that ouija is a promising way to explore what we keep hidden below our consciousness. Using our methods, we can compare participants' conscious and unconscious answers, and get some interesting insight into what our unconscious mind is capable of, and perhaps even a better understanding of why we have consciousness.
What are the goals of the project?
These will be used for two things: (1) compensating the participants in our experiments; each participant will be given $10 for their participation. (2) supporting research assistants to conduct the experiments and analyze the data.
Budget
Our goal is to fully fund two new experiments for the Ouija project with one stretch goal to fund a third should we reach our initial funding target. All the funds we raise will be spend on experimental sessions; compensating both participants and experimenters.
Meet the Team
Team Bio
The Visual Cognition Lab is located in the department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Founded in 2000 by principle investigator Dr. Ronald Rensink, the Visual Cognition Lab has embarked on a diverse array of research experiments seeking to understand visual attention, visual intelligence, and automatic (or nonconscious) cognition. Our projects range from change blindness to the effects of culture on perception. These projects have been presented in various conferences around the world and have gained the interest and support of several industries such as Nissan and Boeing. Many of the projects from the VCL examine new issues using innovative techniques; as a lab we love blazing trails in fields which haven’t received as much attention as they deserve and this has led to many unexpected and exciting results.The researchers associated with this project are Dr. Ronald Rensink and Dr. Helene Gauchou
UBC Visual Cognition Lab
The Visual Cognition Lab is located in the department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia. Founded in 2000 by principle investigator Dr. Ronald Rensink, the Visual Cognition Lab has embarked on a diverse array of research experiments seeking to understand visual attention, visual intelligence, and automatic (or nonconscious) cognition. Our projects range from change blindness to the effects of culture on perception. These projects have been presented in various conferences around the world and have gained the interest and support of several industries such as Nissan and Boeing. Many of the projects from the VCL examine new issues using innovative techniques; as a lab we love blazing trails in fields which haven’t received as much attention as they deserve and this has led to many unexpected and exciting results.
Lab Notes
Nothing posted yet.
Press and Media
Check out Our WebsiteThe Ubyssey (August 2013) VisCog lab unlocking the subconscious with Ouija boards
BBC (July 2013) How the ouija board really moves
The Epoch Times (September 2012) Ouija Board Gives Psychologists Access to Unconscious Mind
New Scientist (July 2012) Ouija board helps psychologists probe the subconscious Vancouver
Metro News (June 2012) UBC researchers use Ouija board to study 'unconscious' intelligence
UBC Reports (June 2012) Mysteries of Unconsciousness
The Georgia Straight (March 2012) UBC researchers rely on Ouija board to delve into research subjects' nonconscious memory
The Georgia Straight (August 2010) Freud and Jung theorized about the unconscious; UBC researchers try to prove its existence
Academic Publications
Gauchou, H. L., Rensink, R. A., & Fels, S. (2012). Expression of Nonconscious Knowledge by Ideomotor Actions.Consciousness and Cognition, 21: 976-982.
Additional Information
Want to support our research anonymously? You can! When you make your donation, just type in "Anonymous" as your screen name and your identity will remain hidden even to us.Project Backers
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