The hidden observer: final thoughts but not the last word

Joseph P. Green; Roger A. Page; George W. Handley; Rouhangiz Rasekhy

doi:10.1002/ch.3

HIDDEN OBSERVER: ON ONE INVARIANT MOTIF IN PUSHKIN’S WORKS

Culture and Text ◽

10.37386/2305-4077-2020-4-154-169 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 154-169

Author(s):

O.B. Zaslavskii ◽

Keyword(s):

Final Scene ◽

Hidden Observer

It is shown that the same scene or situation passes through Pushkin’s works in which an observer watching for two or more objects is present. If an object of dangerous observation is a woman, the scene, as a rule, ends up with her faint or death. The presence of such an observer can be considered as uncontrolled intrusion of fate into human’s life. Uncovering the scheme under consideration is especially important since poetics of Pushkin is extremely laconic, so even in a finished text one is led to reconstruct some implicit details. Then, a given invariant (related just to the property of reticence) can serve as a tool for independent check. In particular, its application agrees with interpretation of the final scene in “The Stone Guest” that was suggested by us earlier from completely different rationale.

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Pseudomemory Responding in Hypnotic, Task-Motivated and Simulating Subjects: Memory Distortion or Reporting Bias?

Imagination Cognition and Personality ◽

10.2190/ic13.4.c ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 303-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Nicholas P. Spanos ◽

Ewy Bures

Keyword(s):

False Memory ◽

Reporting Bias ◽

Memory Distortion ◽

Hidden Observer

Hypnotic, task-motivated and simulating subjects were administered a suggestion for a false memory (hearing noises) while “reliving” the events of an earlier night. Simulators reported the suggested noises more frequently than hypnotic subjects, and subjects in the three conditions failed to differ in endorsing the noises as real after termination of the “reliving” procedure. Subjects in the three conditions were also equally likely to reverse their pseudomemory reports following hidden observer instructions. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that pseudomemory responding in this paradigm reflects reporting bias rather than memory distortion.

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The Term “Hypnosis” Suggests a Sleep-Like State and Recent Evidence Regarding Lucid Dreaming Bears on the Notion of a “Hidden Observer.” What Is Your View of the Analogy of Dreaming and Hypnosis?

Dream Consciousness - Vienna Circle Institute Library ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-07296-8_35 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 211-214

Author(s):

David Spiegel

Keyword(s):

Lucid Dreaming ◽

Hidden Observer

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Posthypnotic Amnesia, The Hidden Observer Effect, and Duality During Hypnotic Age Regression

International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis ◽

10.1080/00207148808409325 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 19-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Robert Nadon ◽

Joyce D'eon ◽

Kevin M. McConkey ◽

Jean-Roch Laurence ◽

Campbell Perry

Keyword(s):

Observer Effect ◽

Age Regression ◽

Hidden Observer

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Trance logic duality and hidden observer responding in hypnotic, imagination control, and simulating subjects: A social psychological analysis.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/0021-843x.94.4.611 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 94 (4) ◽

pp. 611-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Nicholas P. Spanos ◽

Hans P. de Groot ◽

Dale K. Tiller ◽

John R. Weekes ◽

Lorne D. Bertrand

Keyword(s):

Social Psychological ◽

Psychological Analysis ◽

Hidden Observer

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Ability to Detect Covert Observation

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1997.85.1.75 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 75-80

Author(s):

Gary T. Rosenthal ◽

Barlow Soper ◽

Rebecca S. Tabony ◽

Abe Rosenthal

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Video Camera ◽

Video Monitor ◽

Hidden Observer ◽

Covert Observation

A study was conducted to evaluate persons' purported ability to detect hidden observers. Anecdotally, most people (87%) report that covert observation can be detected. A total of 140 college students individually sat in a room with a two-way mirror and video-monitor camera. They were told that they might be observed for any or all of the subsequent 5 min. Participants noted whether they felt a hidden observer watched them during each minute of the 5-min. session. After the session, students reported if a possible hidden observer watched via a two-way mirror or video camera or if they were not watched. Students were unable to detect observation beyond chance. Possible reasons for the persistence of the belief in detection of covert observation are posited as impetus for further research.

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