Experience of Cause in Sighted and Blind Samples 1

Abstract

Previous studies of perceptual causality have involved the visual modality directly or indirectly through associative imagery. The question addressed in this paper is whether causal impressions will occur in those never experiencing vision, i.e., in the early blind. A qualified answer of “yes” may be given. Fixed sequences of haptic stimulation “causal” and “non-causal” in type evoked the same reports from early blinded as from late blinded and blindfolded but normally sighted. Also, different semantic structures appear to be applied by the early blind, as contrasted to late blind and sighted persons to phenomena that are primarily (but not solely) visual in nature. It was concluded that the reports of causal interactions given by the early blind do not represent verbal habits based on vision but reflect causal experience unrelated to vision.