Out of body experience (OOBE)

Explanations for OOBE

The sensation of being awake and seeing your own body from a location outside your physical body.

About 15-20% of people claim to have experienced an OOBE (Blackmore, 1982).

Complete the hand out on the explanations of OBE

Cognitive explanation: reconstruction of visual field.

Neurological explanation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD7NzrBgXwM

From 13 mins

Neurological explanation

Explanations

The sleep hypothesis:-OBEs occur during a hypnogogic state (transitional state from wakefulness to sleep)

Belief in OBEs is associated with personality characteristics such as fantasy proneness.

http://www.lucidity.com/NL32.OBEandLD.html

Evidence

Complete the hand out on the research into Out of Body Experience.

Extension: read the additional information and evidence on OOBE. Highlight the information you find

relevant.

Activity: screen script

You are a play writer and have been asked to write a script for a scene between two individuals discussing OOBE’s.

You can choose characters, setting etc.… but you must include in your script…at least one explanation as to what causes OOBE and this needs to be backed up with research.

EvaluationOn the whiteboards: 2 evaluation points. No groups are allowed the same

points (so check that no other groups have yours)

• Scientific research – enable us to formulate theories• Does not replicate true OOBE - Inducing OOBE / not studying naturally

(lack internal validity).• Subjective accounts – hard to research objectively.• studies demonstrate scientific testing of OOBEs in controlled conditions. • These are far from the usual conditions in which OOBEs are reported

but have some advantages over case study evidence which provides little information about causes of OOBE’s.

• Both involve relatively small samples.

Evaluation continued…

• Research StudiesArtificial vs. natural OOBEs One of the problems with any research is that it is difficult to study natural OOBEs because they occur without predictability and, even if a researcher was present, the OOBE would cease as soon as the participant reported it.

Therefore, most research is conducted on artificially-induced OOBEs in lab settings. Some researchers do not regard these as equivalent to naturally-occurring OOBEs.

Discuss research into out of body experience(4+6 marks)

OR

Outline and evaluate research into out-of-body experience (4 + 6 marks)

The best approach was to present explanations of OBE as A01 and then to provide supporting research as AO2/3.

CLASS MODEL ESSAY Each group, to write a paragraph about the point given to them

Marking exercise

Using the mark schemes (A01 and A02/A03) give each paragraph a mark.

• What mark would you give the class essay?• How could the class essay be improved.• On your sheet, add each paragraph from the

w/b around the room. (Improve sections if needed)

Explanations of OBEs include:

Neuroscience: • Problems in the neural pathway from the pre frontal cortex to the

temporo-parietal junction: Stimulation of the temporal lobe of the brain (Blanke)

Cognitive: • OBEs result from disruption of visual self-perception or a shift to a bird’s

eye view (Blackmore 1987)

The sleep hypothesis:• (Palmer, 1978, McCreery 2006): OBEs occur during a hypnogogic state

Belief in OBEs is associated with personality characteristics such as fantasy proneness.

Research studies:

• Blanke et al (2005) produced OBEs artificially through stimulating the angular gyrus. This supports the claim of a biological underpinning to the OBE

• Easton et al (2009): identified difficulties in locating the self in space in an OBE sample

• Ehrsson: OBEs can be induced through disrupting sense of visual perception.

Both of the above studies demonstrate scientific testing of OBEs in controlled conditions. These are far from the usual conditions in which OBEs are reported but have some advantages over case study evidence which provides little information about causes of OBE’s. Both involve relatively small samples.

Plenary: Pictionary

Which part of the explanations of OBE is your partner describing?

• Temporal parietal junction • Birds eye view• Brain• Sensory information• Sensory input• Memory and imagination

Discuss what research has shown about psychic healing. (4 marks + 6 marks)

AO1: You have to describe the findings of studies and say what they show about the exceptional experience in question.

AO2/3: Would consist of methodological issues with studies and how these support/challenge the explanations.

In pairs… mind map your ideas on the paper given to you

ReferencesBosveld, Jane. "Soul Search: Can Science Ever Decipher the Secrets of the Human Soul?" Discover magazine, June 2007.

Fox, Douglas. "Light at the End of the Tunnel." New Scientist. Retrieved from the web, http://www.newscientist.com, 2008 March 3.

Nelson, Kevin R., MD et al (2006). Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience? Neurology, 66:1003-1009.

Parnia, Sam et al (2001). A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features and aetiology of near death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors. Resuscitation, 48:149-156.

Parnia, Sam and Peter Fenwick (2002). Near death experiences in cardiac arrest: visions of a dying brain or visions of a new science of consciousness. Resuscitation, 52:5-11.

Wallace, Benjamin and Leslie E. Fisher. Consciousness and Behavior, Fourth Edition. Waveland Press Inc., Prospect Heights, pp. 218-220.

Near death experience (NDE)

Near death experience

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/eben-alexander-harvard-neurosurgeon-proof-of-heaven-afterlife-coma_n_1951475.html

• Words on the board• First person to find the word to the

corresponding sentence.