Goal orientation by blindfolded humans after long-distance displacement: possible involvement of a magnetic sense.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Exploratory controlled behavioral experiment in humans with unspecified allocation and design details in the abstract
PubMed 7423208 · doi:10.1126/science.7423208
What was done
Blindfolded human participants were subjected to displacement-release experiments to test their ability to orient toward home. The researchers evaluated whether this orientation relied on mental mapping of the route, varied under cloud cover, or was altered by wearing bar magnets on the head.
What was found
The abstract provides no numerical data, sample sizes, or statistical metrics. It qualitatively states that blindfolded humans demonstrated goal-orientation toward home, that orientation was not driven by mental mapping of the journey or influenced by cloud cover, and that head-worn bar magnets appeared to influence the orientation.
Why it matters
This study introduced early behavioral experimental evidence suggesting the potential presence of a magnetic orientation sense in humans.
Limits
The abstract contains no sample size, demographic details, quantitative results, effect sizes, or p-values. Control procedures, blinding of experimenters, and the exact characteristics of the magnetic intervention are not detailed.
Cited by
- context Studies published in Science show that the human brain can detect magnetic fields above chance levels.