Sunday, May 4, 2008 | Science : In the News | print version

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Research Volunteers Needed

by Sam Harris

We are preparing to run another fMRI study of belief and disbelief, and we need volunteers to help us refine our experimental stimuli. This promises to be the first study of religious faith at the level of the brain. By responding to the four surveys I have posted online, you can make an enormous contribution to this work.

You'll find links to these surveys on my home page.

Please answer as many of the surveys as you can. If you only have time to answer one, please choose at random (otherwise, we will have many more responses to the first than to the others).

Feel free to post this message to your blog or to forward the relevant links to your friends. I especially need Christians to respond, as one of the goals of these surveys is to design stimuli that a majority of Christians will find doctrinally sound.

I will, of course, pass along the results of this work the moment I have something to report.

Many thanks for your help.

All the best,

Sam

www.samharris.org

Posted: Sunday, May 4, 2008 | Permalink

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1. Comment #175217 by MPhil on May 4, 2008 at 11:14 pm

Done, all four... one question appeared twice... thought the best option in that case would be to use the middle option for both, since one of them surely was mislabelled, actually a different question and will get evaluated as such.

Some questions were phrased inaccurately - like the one asking one's opinion concerning the statement "Jesus was not immortal, and did not ascend into heaven" (or something to that effect)... if one doesn't believe that Jesus ever existed, what should one answer?

The appropriate phrasing would have been "Assuming Jesus existed..." or something to that effect.

Also, why give people 5 options, anyone creating a survey will know that a middle option is extremely attractive and will get less detailed results.

Other Comments by MPhil

2. Comment #175218 by Damien White on May 4, 2008 at 11:16 pm

Done!

May the fourth be with you.

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3. Comment #175221 by Raiko on May 5, 2008 at 12:05 am

Long survey is looooong.

Interesting. For a moment I was bewildered by some questions, but then I called into mind what it is for. However, seeing this posted in RD.net I wonder whether there's going to be an atheist-overhang in that survey. I shall do my best to recruit some Christian friends & family.

Other Comments by Raiko

4. Comment #175224 by Dave_G on May 5, 2008 at 12:26 am

Good point Raiko.

I Wonder if we could get a link on http://www.answersingenesis.org/ or an other Christian based forum.

Other Comments by Dave_G

5. Comment #175226 by Richard Dawkins on May 5, 2008 at 12:35 am

However, seeing this posted in RD.net I wonder whether there's going to be an atheist-overhang in that survey. I shall do my best to recruit some Christian friends & family.

I Wonder if we could get a link on http://www.answersingenesis.org/ or an other Christian based forum.

I think we can assume that Sam will have thought of such things himself!

Richard

Other Comments by Richard Dawkins

6. Comment #175230 by darlets on May 5, 2008 at 12:56 am

This is great. I'm sending it to all my Christian friends.

I was at a dinner party on the weekend and the conversation turned to God.
My statement
"If you're being intellectually honest you can't say you're 100% certain of God's existence"
was followed by
"I'm 100% certain God Exists!"

:\

Other Comments by darlets

7. Comment #175232 by Blueboy5 on May 5, 2008 at 1:03 am

I protest! The surveys are only for a) christians and b) atheists/non-believers. What about we poor deists? We always get ignored. I'm going to go stand in the corner and cry for a while.

Other Comments by Blueboy5

8. Comment #175233 by MPhil on May 5, 2008 at 1:04 am

Prof. Dawkins,

I think we can assume that Sam will have thought of such things himself!

You are very probably correct, sir. Let us hope that most Christians who are made aware of this won't dismiss it because the study is done by a prominent atheist...

Knowing as we do that many of them are not very knowledgeable about science and the scientific method - or distrust science outright - I suspect many of them may falsely suspect bias or trickery because of the fact that Sam is behind it (among others). Can we assume that they are perfectly aware that bias is exactly what scientists do not want, because they want representative results? We know that many of them think Big Science has a conspiracy going when it comes to evolution, so I am skeptical.

Anyway - I am very interested in the results of this study.

Best,
-Michael

Other Comments by MPhil

9. Comment #175236 by MPhil on May 5, 2008 at 1:13 am

Blueboy5,

I protest! The surveys are only for a) christians and b) atheists/non-believers. What about we poor deists?

I guess it's because deist usually aren't dogmatically fixed and emotionally invested in scripture or religion and politics, or perhaps even in the issue of moral value of belief or disbelief (at least those I know personally aren't). Thus, the neural activity when confronted with specific stimuli concerning these things may be less definitive, less valuable for this specific experiment.

... I really don't know. That's just my guess.

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10. Comment #175237 by monkey74 on May 5, 2008 at 1:26 am

I just finished all four surveys. It would be great to know a little bit more detail concerning results and how they will be used. Also, a reference to a post date that will show the outcome and/or further steps in research. The test is simple and all should participate in it. I'll try to get some friends (all christian) to try to contribute.

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11. Comment #175239 by MrEmpirical on May 5, 2008 at 1:29 am

MPhil,

I know what you mean about there being a middle option, but sometimes it's unavoidable. If there had been no middle option, I would have been stuffed by some of the questions. For example, to the question "I am more honest than the average person", I had to answer "I don't know", because I simply have no idea how honest the average person is, and so I have no idea whether or not I am more or less honest.

I think when you're asking about factual matters, such as whether or not people speak certain languages or whether the government ever raises taxes, it is appropriate to have a "I don't know" option. When you're asking about personal feelings, such as anxiety, depression, positive affectivity, etc., then it is a good idea not to include a middle option, because most people will lean one way or the other.

MrE.

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12. Comment #175241 by AtheistGirl on May 5, 2008 at 1:35 am

Hello all, this is my first post on the RDF.

Completed all 4 surveys - didn't find the task too onerous.

There was one question that seemed to have a minor error (unless it was deliberate for some reason):

"The existence of the mythical city of Atlantics has been established beyond any doubt."

I've emailed Sam's website to let them know.

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13. Comment #175242 by louzer on May 5, 2008 at 1:41 am

Sam, I think it was a bad idea to warn people that there would be a lot more of Survey 1 respondents if they don't do it random. People have a tendency to pick Survey 3 when they do it random.

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14. Comment #175244 by SteveN on May 5, 2008 at 1:58 am

I have just finished all four surveys and, really, to the vast majority I had to answer "Strongly disagree " or "Strongly agree". There was only some degree of ambiguity with personal questions. I assume that this is a deliberate set-up to get some weak responses in the fMRI.

One question made me pause however: "There is too much innocent suffering for there to be an all-powerful God." On the face of it, I would select "Strongly agree", but of course, there may be an all-powerful but malevolent god who enjoys the suffering of innocents. I suspect the authors of the survey meant ""There is too much innocent suffering for there to be an all-powerful, benevolent God."

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15. Comment #175246 by MPhil on May 5, 2008 at 2:10 am

MrEmpirical,

I guess you're right - personality tests shouldn't have a middle option... with factual questions it might be the only way to get people to answer them :)

AtheistGirl,

welcome to RDnet. If you are anything like me, you are going to enjoy your stay. Many wonderful discussion, a lot of interesting people, many people on here are extremely valuable resources of information - we have people with degrees in such fields as Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Philosophy - even some who took biblical studies.

And - just so you can't so no one warned you... we get a lot of visits from creationists and just mind-bogglingly stupid theists on here.
On the other hand - there have been many interesting discussions with reasonable theists on here as well.

So, welcome! And - enjoy your stay!

Other Comments by MPhil

16. Comment #175247 by ADParker on May 5, 2008 at 2:17 am

Done, all four.
They aren't that long really and pretty simple, so give 'em a go if you haven't yet.

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17. Comment #175251 by DLed on May 5, 2008 at 2:41 am

I hope, that the study will go into some neuroscientific details, rather than just mapping using the fMRI. Considering Jeff Hawkins' theses about the uniformity of the neocortex (On Intelligence), it is comparatively not that interesting to observe, where the "belief centers" are, but rather, how they form, and what the mechanism is

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18. Comment #175254 by AshtonBlack on May 5, 2008 at 2:58 am

Done :) I hope this helps in some way :)

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19. Comment #175259 by DamnDirtyApe on May 5, 2008 at 3:27 am

Hopefully some interesting graphs will appear out of this....

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20. Comment #175263 by Roland_F on May 5, 2008 at 3:44 am

This questionnaire seems to be done with the hot needle; at least the 'D' has 2 times the same question with
#23 : I like to look at my body.
#24 : I like to look at my body.
And another one is quite similar (control question ?)
#45 : I like to look at myself in the mirror.

Possibly the 4 sets are to find out the most consistent 'black and white' answers for each group

17. Comment #175251 by DLed
it is comparatively not that interesting to observe, where the "belief centers" are, but rather, how they form, and what the mechanism is

A test like this was announced in another tread here in January, it's about finding out lies and self-deceptions via MRI. During answering the questions, the MRI should reveal if the answer is first intuitive given as nonbeliever (like virgin birth or resurrection myth) and then overwritten from another brain region 'religious center' in self-deception before giving the answer 'yes the virgin birth is true' .

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21. Comment #175264 by beeline on May 5, 2008 at 3:44 am

Bill Gates probably never used a computer.

I *really* wanted to click 'Strongly Agree' after that one...

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22. Comment #175265 by bachfiend on May 5, 2008 at 3:49 am

I have just finished all 4 surveys; the one about Jesus ascending to heaven was easy. Even if there wasn't a Jesus Christ (and there certainly wasn't), there still would have been a few Jesuses (??Jesii) in Jerusalem at the time, some even with a brother named James and a father named Joseph. The one about the world becoming a better place if I became world dictator was also easy, even after answering that I don't like being a leader or taking authority. After killing all the lawyers ("The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers", Henry VI {part 2}), the next thing I'd do is to put the various portfolios into the hands of the best people (eg Religious Affairs-Richard Dawkins, etc), then retire.

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23. Comment #175269 by PJG on May 5, 2008 at 4:13 am

I hate having to agree or disagree with statements like "I will be a success" and "I am going to be a great person"

It depends what you mean by "success" and "great"!

If you mean, "I will be a success" in terms that most people think of as "success" - fame, fortune, etc., then no, and I couldn't care less. If you mean "I will be a success" as in my personal life, making a good home, being a caring person with friends and family who think well of me, then yes, and that matters to me a great deal.

Having "don't know" as the middle option made some of the answers very tricky - Do I like to look at myself in the mirror? "It depends"! I don't "like" to look at myself in a narcissistic way but I don't NOT like to look at myself because I find my body offensive - I am indifferent - if I need to look in the mirror, I do, if not, I don't.

Of course, the "Does God exist" questions were easy-peesy!!! :o)

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24. Comment #175272 by heisenberg76 on May 5, 2008 at 4:29 am

I had a problem with two questions:

"Santa Claus really exists."

I do believe there is evidence for a person having existed that many people refer to as "Saint Nicholas". But I do not believe the gift-giving character exists.

and

"Jesus Christ can’t do anything to help humanity in the 21st century."

The (perhaps fictional) character "Jesus" is said to have said some pretty damn wise things.

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25. Comment #175276 by nalfeshnee on May 5, 2008 at 4:43 am

Done two so far.

Question and answer combo with the greatest comic potential so far:

Question: I am assertive
Answer: I strongly disagree

*G

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26. Comment #175277 by ReasonToBeCheerful on May 5, 2008 at 4:51 am

Sam, I think it was a bad idea to warn people that there would be a lot more of Survey 1 respondents if they don't do it random. People have a tendency to pick Survey 3 when they do it random.

As the system is currently set up, I'm not sure what viable alternative there would have been. By saying nothing, he'd get too many 1s, but by asking for a random number, he would get more 3s and fewer 1s, but there'd still be some people who'd choose 2 or 4. In my case, knowing that 3 is a psychologically pleasing 'random' number, I made a point of not choosing it.

Perhaps a better way would be to keep track of the numbers of each survey completed and then provide a 'Choose survey at random' button which would check which survey had the least replies so far and serve that. Additionally, a cookie could be used to ensure that a duplicate survey wasn't served to the same user on subsequent visits.

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27. Comment #175279 by Demotruk on May 5, 2008 at 4:55 am

I did all four.

There were some truly ridiculous questions. I assume they were there to test that you were paying attention.

I half expected to see something along the lines of "You disagree with this statement".

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28. Comment #175284 by rod-the-farmer on May 5, 2008 at 5:16 am

There was a considerable bias towards the U.S., with all the questions about U.S. government, etc. I would have liked to see a question like "What part of the world do you live in/are from ?" to help separate the potentially different responses from different areas & cultures. Given the noteworthy differences in things like religious beliefs between the U.S. and Europe, AND the substantial presence in these Comments from those based in Europe and Canada and even Australia, that may skew the results. Oh well, if I am so smart, howcum I am not rich ?

I too did all four, and reported a typo to Sam.

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29. Comment #175286 by Cartomancer on May 5, 2008 at 5:45 am

I tried taking the surveys, but once I had filled in the first page and clicked on the "submit" button it brought up that page again and wouldn't move on to the next one. My knowledge of arcane technomancy is feeble, so I haven't a clue how to solve this problem...

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30. Comment #175287 by Star Spangled Eagle on May 5, 2008 at 5:48 am

so I haven't a clue how to solve this problem...

Carto: Have you looked for the answer in your cards, perhaps? ;)

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31. Comment #175289 by Cartomancer on May 5, 2008 at 5:52 am

Yes. Ten of Swords inversed. Quite how that translates into computing lore I have no idea...

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32. Comment #175290 by MPhil on May 5, 2008 at 5:54 am

Carto,

if all else fails, try a different browser... Firefox or Opera preferably. :/

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33. Comment #175291 by Steve Zara on May 5, 2008 at 5:57 am

MPhil-

PM for you!

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34. Comment #175292 by Star Spangled Eagle on May 5, 2008 at 6:00 am

I dunno, you're the Cartomancer!

OT but heart warming:

weekend results, 14th place Expelled: No Intelligence... Weekend Gross: $684,000

Lets compare that to something more.... "Intelligent"

5th place Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. Weekend Gross: $6,015,000

Okay, Harold and Kumar have a week on Expelled, Big deal, it won't catch up.

Heart Warming.

EDIT: I was wrong, Expelled actually has a week on Harold and Kumar!

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/

Other Comments by Star Spangled Eagle

35. Comment #175302 by MPhil on May 5, 2008 at 6:39 am

Steve,

thanks - just sent off my reply :)

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36. Comment #175310 by LaTomate on May 5, 2008 at 7:24 am

Done. Another atheist :)

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37. Comment #175312 by StephenP on May 5, 2008 at 7:53 am

I tried taking the surveys, but once I had filled in the first page and clicked on the "submit" button it brought up that page again and wouldn't move on to the next one.

You need to enable cookies.

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38. Comment #175313 by mblarson323 on May 5, 2008 at 7:55 am

When you're asking about personal feelings, such as anxiety, depression, positive affectivity, etc., then it is a good idea not to include a middle option, because most people will lean one way or the other.

Have to disagree with this one. I answered many of these questions "I don't know." Many of these questions asked how I rated myself in a human trait as compared with the rest of my peers. Knowing that my perception of myself is necessarily subjective, I had to answer "I don't know." Likewise, with questions about how other people perceived me, I can only know what I divine from their outward behavior. They may be reacting genuinely; they may be "sucking up." I can't always know which is the case?

BTW, MPhil, I don't know if the questions were all randomly chosen from a larger pool, but I noted several repeat questions.

Other Comments by mblarson323

39. Comment #175314 by Cartomancer on May 5, 2008 at 8:01 am

You need to enable cookies.

I can't find any biscuits anywhere! I've got a large cake though, will that do?

Other Comments by Cartomancer

40. Comment #175324 by StephenP on May 5, 2008 at 8:36 am

I can't find any biscuits anywhere! I've got a large cake though, will that do?

A large cake is generally, always useful.

The "cookies" to which I refer, are not bakery related items but are in fact small data files which http://samharris.org needs to copy onto your computer to prevent anyone submitting multiple surveys.

If you're using IE, then you need to enable these in the "tools" menu.

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41. Comment #175325 by epeeist on May 5, 2008 at 8:40 am

Comment #175324 by StephenP

If you're using IE, then you need to enable these in the "tools" menu.

Rather than do this, just install Firefox from www.mozilla.org. Then install Adblock Plus, Adblock Filterset G and the British English dictionary from the downloads site.

Believe me, you won't go back to Internet Exploder.

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42. Comment #175330 by Cartomancer on May 5, 2008 at 8:57 am

I finally managed to get it working. My faithful handyman showed me how to do it. I shared the cake with him as a reward though, so in a roundabout way it did come in useful.

I must say, however, that I am somewhat confused by the nature of the questions. Obviously there are questions on the basics of religious belief, morality and so forth, but what's with all the blatantly obvious ones about the US Government only having three employees or the buildings in America being 4000 years old? I can imagine they would be useful if the subject were in some kind of brain imaging contrivance which could see which parts of their brain they were using to answer, but what's the point of them on an internet survey? To weed out all the silly people who aren't taking it seriously or have such a skewed perspective on reality they need mental help?

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43. Comment #175339 by Quine on May 5, 2008 at 9:22 am

The study of formal logic has ruined me for survey questions.

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44. Comment #175346 by HourglassMemory on May 5, 2008 at 9:36 am

Doen all four!
And I've put it on two other forums.

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45. Comment #175353 by 82abhilash on May 5, 2008 at 9:46 am

Sam may have trouble getting Christians to respond. They would most probably feel that by doing so they are fraternizing with the enemy.

The fundamentalists for sure. Even the moderates would be less willing, I would think.

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46. Comment #175362 by steveroot on May 5, 2008 at 10:06 am

25. Comment #175276 by nalfeshnee on May 5, 2008 at 4:43 am

Question: I am assertive
Answer: I strongly disagree

Yes, the ever-popular "Liar paradox". :-)
Ste5e

Other Comments by steveroot

47. Comment #175395 by mphall21 on May 5, 2008 at 10:41 am

There was a question at the end of the fourth survey that got repeated; "I like to look at my body".

Other Comments by mphall21

48. Comment #175399 by Raiko on May 5, 2008 at 10:45 am

I think we can assume that Sam will have thought of such things himself!

Yes, we should have thought of that - most likely. I'd be curious to know whether (if Sam Harris himself posted it) he'd get more or less Christians to take the survey than an 'unknown' person.

I guess that is just another manifestation of my curiousity as to how the various religious minds work. (^_~)

Other Comments by Raiko

49. Comment #175404 by weel on May 5, 2008 at 10:56 am

I like the question "Economists often try to predict where the economy is headed." A lot of economists get very irritated at the suggestion that forecasting is or should be their major task, or even just at the concept that what they study is "the economy" (rather than any human phenomenon that can plausibly be thought of as involving choice under scarcity.)

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50. Comment #175407 by Tack on May 5, 2008 at 11:00 am

Most interesting question: "If I ruled the world it would be a much better place." I had to honestly answer "Agree" there, even if I recognize that might not be the most optimal governance for the planet. :)

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