An experimental study of perception and comprehension in relation to religious affiliation

Abstract

This experimental study was based on the assumption that perception is a process involving the stimulus, the situation, and the past and present experience of the perceiver. Many variables influence the selectivity of the perceptual processes, and among these is the religious background and experience of the perceiver. To study the effect of religious experience on perceptual processes, two types of religious affiliation were chosen, namely Roman Catholicism and Methodism. The subjects were female undergraduate students of Bedford College, selected by their membership of the respective denominational societies in college, and unaware beforehand of the nature of the experiment. Four tests were devised, which varied in the complexity of the stimulus, the degree of social involvement, and the degree of comprehension. The tests consisted of a visual task with representational drawings used as a tachistoscopic test, a sentence-completion, a story to be recalled and interpreted, and a series of social situations based on the Sargent Insight Test. The Allport-Vemon Scale of Values was given as a standard test of interests. 42 subjects took part, 20 Roman Catholic, and 22 Methodist. Subjects were tested individually in one session of approximately 1 1/2 hours, after which the purpose of the experiment was explained to them. The results of the study are more in qualitative than in quantitative terms, since the analysis of the data was not generally suitable for statistical analysis. The tests tended to show different facets of the perceptual process but an overall interpretation was possible which suggests that certain beliefs and characteristics of the denominations are reflected in the perceptual processes of the members. The authoritarian structure of Roman Catholicism and the emphasis upon the individual in Methodism are the major factors which can be related to perceptual differences between the groups.