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Updated: Mar 28, 2026
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Methods to Test Visual Attention Online
Published on: February 19, 2015
12.6K
Is Joint Attention Detectable at a Distance? Three Automated, Internet-Based Tests.
Rupert Sheldrake1, Ashweeni Beeharee2
120 Willow Road, London NW3 1TJ, UK.
Explore (New York, N.Y.)
|December 15, 2015
Summary
This study investigated if people could sense when their partner viewed the same image simultaneously, even at great distances. Results showed a slight, statistically significant ability to detect shared attention, suggesting a subtle connection beyond sensory cues.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Parapsychology
Background:
- Joint attention involves shared focus on an object, often facilitated by sensory cues like gaze direction.
- It may also involve a subtle mental resonance between individuals.
- Understanding joint attention is key to social cognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if individuals can perceive when their partner is viewing the same visual stimulus concurrently.
- To test for this phenomenon across significant geographical distances.
Main Methods:
- Participants were paired online and simultaneously presented with one of two images.
- After a brief viewing period, they guessed if their partner saw the same image.
- The proportion of correct guesses was compared against chance expectation.
Main Results:
- Across experiments totaling over 22,000 trials, the hit rate for correctly guessing shared viewing was consistently above chance (52.8%, 51.3%, 51.9%).
- The accuracy did not significantly decrease with increasing distance between partners (over 1000 miles).
- Immediate feedback on guess accuracy did not improve performance.
Conclusions:
- The study provides evidence for a subtle ability to detect joint attention beyond conventional sensory mechanisms.
- This effect appears to persist regardless of geographical separation.
- Further research is needed to explore the nature of this potential 'mental resonance'.
