Shedding light on a book # 1 : INSIDE THE BLACK ROOM By Jack A. Vernon Ph. D.
(The study of sensory deprivation involves the restriction of a man alone in a small cubicle where he can perceive neither light nor sound)
Shedding light on the book
INTRODUCTION
The term of sensory deprivation (further S.D.) is inaccurate but a more precise definition becomes wordy and clumsy. To deprive man totally of sensory stimulation would be a very difficult, if not impossible, task. Sensory stimulation, in addition to having its normal function of bringing information to the individual, serves to keep the brain active, alert, and alive. There are many who claim that if a person were completely deprived of sensory stimulation his brain would cease functioning.
About a hundred subjects came to the experimenters of their own free will. Almost all of them were graduate students in the various departments of Princeton (i.e., male, 20-32 y.o. of purportedly high intelligence). These subjects of wildly different backgorunds and nationalities were put in a light- and soundproofed room, which was nearly completely taken up by a king-size bed. The subject was given the following instructions: to remain on the bed except when obtaining food or using the toilet, to lie as quietly as was comfortably possible and not to make any noise such as talking aloud, humming, singing, and the like. The room was equipped by a release button (used by one out of five subjects), a concealed microphone. The subjects were surveilled at all times. The various conducted studies involved confinement from 24 hours to 96 hours. Some subjects indicated that they could have stayed longer; some demanded release long before 24 hours.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
The beginning of S.D. was viewed in the same way by practically all subjects: “I entered the cell that was to become the deepest darkness I have ever known." Soon after entering the confinement cell most subjects went to sleep and slept almost uninterruptedly for 10 to 24 hours. It made no difference when during the day and, presumably, during the night the confinement started: the initial sleep period was always about the same. The experimenters' thoughts were that their subjects would spend a great deal of time in “looking” about, reflecting upon their impressions of S.D. Their reaction to this boredom, however, was to shut it out by going to sleep. On the other hand, the sleep was probably facilitated by the conditions of darkness and quietness which are present in our normal sleeping experiences. The problem was: as the confinement time increased, sleep was less easy to come by.
Thus it might be recommended that in confinement one should ration and distribute sleep so that it can protect one over a long period, rather than use it up on the first day.
Sleep was not the only protective device. Many subjects combated monotony by inventing mental exercises. Thus when sleep was no longer a method of escape, they reduced boredom by playing mathematical and word games. Reciting the multiplication table was one favoured activity. Learning the alphabet backward was another frequently used activity. What is noteworthy is that without such devices S.D. was intolerable. Some people of fairly passive minds came and when more or less automatic protection of sleep was no longer available to them, they were unable to cope with S.D. and had to demand release.
EFFECTS ON THINKING
For a few, thinking continued to be very clear and perhaps even better than normal. For most, however, the conditions of S.D. seemed almost cruelly calculated to produce difficulties in the thinking process. Typically a subject who entered S.D. anticipated a period of productive thought and brought with him many problems to think about. At first he thought very well, had good penetration and keen insights, but this period was short-lived, and usually by the second day he found a drastic change had occured. Not only were his thoughts muddled, but he was usually unable to maintain any particular thought, and at this point he would either push the panic button and leave S.D. or complete it by allowing daydreams to pass in an uninterrupted sequence.
EFFECTS ON LEARNING (did enough remain to permit and / or improve thought?)
It was found that S.D. was beneficial for the learning of simple tasks, that it had no effect upon more complex tasks, and that it had a deleterious effect upon very complex problem solving. These data suggest that, even with its adventageous lack of distractions, S.D. is not the desirable set of conditions for serious learning. For this other procedures of varying of condition staying in S.D. in going on to the lights and back, should be tried.
SOME PHYSICAL EFFECTS
Many of the subjects upon release from S.D. have remarked that they felt „unsteady“ on their feet, „unsure of the movements“, „not well-coordinated“, etc. These comments caused the experimenters to try to measure the effects of S.D. upon motor performance and the conclusion was that the S.D. does have an undesirable effect upon even a very simple motor task. The problem that remains unanswered is the duration of such effects. With some certainty it can be said that these disruptive effects are not permanent, but additional study is needed to determine the time required for recovery.
In addition to that should be also pointed out that after S.D. the confined subjects were considerably more sensitive to pain. And there was enough evidence that S.D. slowed down simple reaction time for those who did not tolerate confinement well.
FOOD
The problem was solved by providing sandwiches, fruit, and Thermos bottles of soup and water. Later the sandwiches, fruit and soup were replaced by baby food.
After release from S.D. the subjects were asked to indentify what they had eaten, only very few could do so correctly.
Almost all of the subjects reported that they derived no pleasure from eating. All were very concerned about the food and the water. They were worried as to whether the supply was adequat, over the lack of enjoyment of the food.
The food case was deliberately overstocked. The experimenters expected overeating. They thought that, as eating would be one way to break up the monotony, it would be either prolonged or occur often or both. But all subjects, except two, lost weight! Most subjects indicated that they were hungry particularly for a hot meal! Most of them remarked that never before had they realized how much the taste of food depends upon its being heated.
THOSE WHO STAYED NOT
With one exception, when the subjects asked for early release they came out in a quiet, calm and completely collected manner. Roughly one third, after they have been out of S.D. for a few minutes asked permission to return and complete the experiment, that was not allowed. Another third indicated that they would be willing to return to confinement, but only at a later data, and a final third indicated that they would never return to it.
The one subject who emerged in a disturbed manner, who ended his confinement after eleven hours, reported that while in S.D. he experienced fear and that fear caused him to push the button. He was unable to say what he feared. The text of the book makes a reference between that man and the room 101 in George Orwell's book 1984, in which political prisoners encounter their innermost secret fears, fears which as a rule must be intangible, unknown emotions that have not been dulled by experience whatsoever. Obviously that kind of fear experienced by the subject in S.D. is the worst kind of fear as reason cannot be used to ally it. If his fear has indentified as, say, that of darkness or closeness, something concrete, he could have at least partially dispelled it by a rational approach. But he was unable to do this because his was more in the nature of pure fear than a specific fear.
Regarding the other S.D. aborters who came out of S.D in a calm manner, why did they find it necessary to come out?
The reasons were all individual:
It was a singular case when the subject walked into the chamber, and before even the experimenters could get out and close the door he said “I can't take this” and came out.
One subject explained his demand for an early release was due to an obsessive idea. While in S.D. he got the idea that he had gone blind. Obviously while in S.D. he could not easily test his ability to see and so he had to come out in order to conduct such a test.
Several subjects who did not push the panic button admitted that the thought of blindness occurred to them too. But before it became obsessive, however, they disproved it. They did so by pushing sharply against their eyes, and this quite naturally caused them to 'see' flashes of light and they took these as proof that their eyes were still working.
One subject, probably as many others ashamed to admit a real cause of becoming too bored, who did request an early release gave “severe headache” as his reason, claiming that the pain was so intense that medication became essential. He was asked to stay long enough for the postconfinement testing, and after five minutes of it he suddenly discovered that his “headache'' was gone.
Another subject requested early release from S.D. because of backache, a universal complaint of all subjects for they simply lay on their backs for too long before they realized the trouble. In the case of this man who pressed the panic button, he had a series of intense muscle cramps in his back that were recurrent from his old injury.
Other excuses were pretty weak:
One claimed that he had to leave because he could no longer sleep. Another ended his stay on the grounds that he was underpaid, after staying in the chamber slightly over 36 hours!
It has been also noted that S.D. seemed to be worse for those who were not familiar with the general location of the S.D. chamber. It was the case that during the summer, when Princeton was rather empty, the experimenters had to deal with subjects coming from other colleges. Nine of ten of them pushed the panic button. Thus strangeness of environment may be a critical factor, the force of which could be increased almost indefinitely.
SOME CURIOUS HEALTH ITEMS
• Cold.
Three of the subjects had symptoms of cold. They were confined for 48 hours and when they were released from S.D. no one had a trace of a cold. All three expressed amazement at their rapid recovery since it was their usual experience to keep colds for a week or so rather than for two days, and especially since they had had no medication. The experimenters could only assume that the very complete rest afforded by S.D. was responsible for the rapid recovery from the colds.
• Poison ivy.
In one of the early studies the subjects' movements were restricted by placing cardboard gauntlets on their arms. It was found, however, that the gauntlet was not necessary in order to restrict movement so its use was later discarded, but in the case of two subjects it was of extreme importance. Both of these men came to the experimenters with severe cases of poison ivy. Obviously they would not have been allowed to serve as S.D. subjects had the experimenters known, but, as it turned out, both men were completely cured at the end of their confinement, which for one was 48 hours and for the other 72 hours. Both men insisted that they carried out the instructions to the letter, that at no time they scratch themselves for they felt to do so would be contrary to the instructions to lie as quietly as possible. It may not be surpising that the poison ivy was cured in such a short time: medical counsel indicates that this afflicton, if not most skin deseases, can be readily cured merely by not scratching the affected areas. It is very surpising that the two subjects could resist scratching. According to what they said, they both felt that the scratching sensation was a welcome relief in circumstances devoid of stimulation.
• Non-smoking.
Fully three quarters of the subjects were smokers and non-smoking turned out to be the easiest part of S.D, though some of these people were confined as long as 96 hours! And they started smoking again after release from S.D. They all reported that when they did think of smoking, it was a mere memory. The exact scientific reason for the amazing effects of S.D. on such a commanding habit stayed unclear.
They should have permitted the people to do what they wanted! Even recording their voice and making things up to pass time! You would be surprised what people would talk about with this much time alone! I walk daily I do videos about subjects I want others to see and hear! You would find out what is really important to this people! And what motivates them in their life!
They should have permitted the people to do what they wanted! Even recording their voice and making things up to pass time! You would be surprised what people would talk about with this much time alone! I walk daily I do videos about subjects I want others to see and hear! You would fine out what is really important to this people! And what motivates them in their life!