Papers by Eugene Subbotsky
Man in the Mirror of Nature: Science and Living Consciousness
Reason in the Cobweb: Magical Manipulation of Living Consciousness
Is Living Consciousness a Simulation? Children’s and Adults’ Reactions to the ‘Person Is a Simulation’ Hypothesis
Facts we perceive, maxims we trust: Introduction
Routledge eBooks, Dec 3, 2021
Examining the Psychological Foundations of Science and Morality
Preschool children's perception of unusual phenomena
Soviet psychology, 1985
... ID Code: 26935. Deposited By: Dr Eugene Subbotsky. Deposited On: 18 Aug 2009 16:49. Refereed?... more ... ID Code: 26935. Deposited By: Dr Eugene Subbotsky. Deposited On: 18 Aug 2009 16:49. Refereed?: Yes. Published?: Published. Last Modified: 18 Aug 2009 16:49. Archive Staff Only: edit this record. Lancaster Eprints is provided ...
Epilogue: Plunging Into a Utopia
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 3, 2010
Understanding the Distinction between Sensations and Physical Properties of Objects by Children and Adults
International Journal of Behavioral Development, Feb 1, 1997
The study addressed the phenomenon according to which even educated adult individuals often confu... more The study addressed the phenomenon according to which even educated adult individuals often confuse sensations received from physical objects (such as colour, sound, taste, weight, temperature) with physical properties of the objects that initiated these sensations. This means that in many cases scientific education fails to achieve its goal, which is to create in an individual the physical-scientific view of the world. To examine this phenomenon four experiments were conducted with the aims to determine to what extent: (1) children of various ages and adults were able (a) to acknowledge the fact that sensations appear due to the work of the human mind or sense organs and are not physical properties of the objects that produce them; (b) to appreciate the difference between the mind and sense organs as contributors to the production of sensations (Exp. 1); (2) various types of training could enhance children’s and adults’ understanding that sensations do not belong to the physical properties and objects (Exps. 2-4). The results of Experiment 1 conducted with 6- and 9-year-old children and adults did not reveal an age-related increase in the appreciation of the subjective character of sensations. However, 9-year-old children and adults (but not 6-year-old children) showed a diffentiated approach to various types of sensations, attributing pain mainly to the subject and softness-hardness mainly to the objects. Experiment 2 (direct explanation treatment), and Experiment 3 (cognitive conflict treatment) yielded no improvement in 6- and 9-year-old children’s appreciation of the subjective character of sensations and only partial improvement in adults. In Experiment 4 (social conflict treatment) adult subjects only were involved; the experiment showed a significant improvement in the subjects’ judgements about colour sensations and a marginal improvement in their judgements about weight sensations.
Explaining Impossible Phenomena: Object Permanence Beliefs and Memory Failures in Adults
Memory, Mar 1, 1996
... First, it can determine the conditions under which preschool children and educated adults cou... more ... First, it can determine the conditions under which preschool children and educated adults could still abandon their belief in object permanence. This problem was targeted in a series of recent studies (see Subbotsky, 1991a,b). The studies were based on a special task designed ...
Phenomenalistic Perception and Rational Understanding in the Mind of an Individual: A Fight for Dominance
Cambridge University Press eBooks, May 29, 2000
Religion and belief in the supernatural
The Child as a Cartesian Thinker
Part 1 The child as a philosopher: studies of children's metaphysical thinking in development... more Part 1 The child as a philosopher: studies of children's metaphysical thinking in developmental psychology Descartes' "Meditation on First Philosophy" as a framework for the study of children's metaphysical judgements. Part 2 Children and Cartesian metaphysics - an experimental study of children's metaphysical reasonings: discussing the possibility of putting under doubt the adequacy of the perceptual images of objects and the existence of the external world examining the child's capacity to doubt his/her own existence the acknowledgement of the conceptual difference and the empirical inseparable unity between the mind and the body definition of the criterion of truth and the classification of the types of knowledge judgements about the almighty subject the distinction between physical objects and subjective images they produce - judgements about dreams and reality. Part 3 Children's reasonings about metaphysical problems of a human being psychology freedom Faust unconscious inner world eternal life reality the development of a metaphysical knowledge in general - a general view.
Mind as a phenomenon
Routledge eBooks, Jan 24, 2023
Magic and Human Communication
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 3, 2010
Magical thinking : reality or illusion
Magical thinking and magical beliefs We find it quite natural that our thoughts or words can prod... more Magical thinking and magical beliefs We find it quite natural that our thoughts or words can produce effects in our mental world, or in the outer world: we can think of moving our hand and do it, we can ask for a favour and be granted it. What we would find surprising is if our thoughts, ...
Magical Reality
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 3, 2010
The Bubble Universe: Psychological Perspectives on Reality
Springer eBooks, 2020
Verbal Magical Beliefs and Children's Everyday Experience
Oxford University Press eBooks, Mar 3, 2010
Can alternative causal modes coexist in one mind
Unusual phenomena (spontaneous destruction of objects in an empty wooden box) were demonstrated t... more Unusual phenomena (spontaneous destruction of objects in an empty wooden box) were demonstrated to 6- and 9-year-old children and to adults. These were accompaniedby actionswhichhadno physicallinktothedestroyedobject butcould suggest either scientifically based (the effect of an unknownphysical device) or nonscientifically based(the effect of a parapsychological 'effort of will' or a 'magic spell') causal explanations of the event. Contrary to the expectation that scientifically based explanation would prevail in older children's and adults' judgments and behaviours, the prevalence was only shown in participants' verbal judgments and not in their actions. In their actions, 9-year-olds showed a higher credulity towards the magical effect than towards the effect of a physical device. Adult participants showed an equal degree of credulity towards the effect of both the device and magic in both high- and low-risk conditions. However, when the risk of disregarding the possible causal effect of accompanying actions was high, the overall degree of credulity towards possible effects of the device and magic spell, as judged by specific behavioural patterns, was significantly higher than when the risk was low. The replacement of non-scientific causal explanations by scientific ones does indeed take place with age. However, the replacement model only captures the development of verbal judgments. In participants' actual behaviour the coexistence of alternative causal modes was observed
Permanence of mental objects: testing magical causation on physical and imaginary realities
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Papers by Eugene Subbotsky