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A framework for using magic to study the mind.

Ronald A Rensink1, Gustav Kuhn2

  • 1Departments of Psychology and Computer Science, University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Frontiers in Psychology
|February 21, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Magicians

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of mind

Background:

  • Psychology has historically overlooked the extensive knowledge magicians possess regarding human mental manipulation.
  • Recent scholarship suggests this knowledge could significantly advance our understanding of human cognition and consciousness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a framework for integrating knowledge from magic into psychological research.
  • To explore how magical methods and effects can inform the study of the human mind.

Main Methods:

  • Surveying existing and novel approaches to understanding magic's psychological underpinnings.
  • Analyzing magic through four distinct levels: methods, effects, tricks as phenomena, and organized knowledge.
  • Examining the psychological impact of seemingly impossible events and the experience of wonder.
Keywords:
attentioncognitionmagicmethodologyneurosciencevisual perceptionwonder

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Main Results:

  • Magic offers novel methods to address existing psychological questions.
  • The effects produced by magic, like wonder, are valuable phenomena for scientific study.
  • Magic tricks, combining method and effect, represent a unique area for psychological investigation.

Conclusions:

  • A structured framework can leverage magical knowledge for psychological insights.
  • Magic provides a rich, largely untapped resource for exploring human cognition and consciousness.
  • The systematic study of magic could lead to a new scientific discipline centered on wonder.