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Journal of consciousness exploration & research

Testing the Consciousness Causing Collapse Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics Using Subliminal Primes Derived from Random Fluctuations in Radioactive Decay

Richard James Lucido

Published May 19, 2023• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Stimulus primes derived directly from patterns in a local source of radioactive decay were flashed on a screen for a duration of time too brief to be consciously experienced. The primes were immediately followed by a presentation of a stimulus symbol that human participants were asked to rapidly respond to. According to the Consciousness Causes Collapse Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (CCC), because the primes had not yet been exposed to conscious observation, they should continue to exist in a state of superposition based on the radioactive decay from which they were derived. It was hypothesized that if the CCC interpretation were correct, a prime produced in this way should not yield the standard effect on subsequent response times as it would in a control condition in which observation had deliberately occurred beforehand. This hypothesis was supported. The standard effect on response times was found in the observed condition but not in the unobserved condition. The current findings support the CCC interpretation of quantum mechanics.

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This article reports two new experiments designed to test the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) interpretation of quantum mechanics via a subliminal priming paradigm. A radioactive source was used to determine stimulus primes. Reaction times were compared across two conditions: one in which primes were previously observed by a conscious agent and another in which they remained shielded from observation. The CCC model predicts that unobserved primes will persist in superposition, thereby diminishing their subsequent priming effect. These new data collections were conducted as exploratory extensions to test alternative stimulus designs: an "X vs. blank" format and a "parallel vs. perpendicular" design. Both configurations demonstrated a descriptive attenuation of the priming effect in the unobserved condition (a 59% reduction for X vs blank; a 40% reduction for parallel vs perpendicular), with the effect reaching statistical significance in the latter design. Finally, the two new datasets were combined with four previously published experiments in a pooled analysis across six experiments. This analysis revealed a significant interaction: observed primes were associated with larger priming effects than unobserved primes (p = 1.9 × 10⁻6). This pattern is consistent with predictions derived from the CCC interpretation of quantum mechanics, although independent replication is required to determine robustness and generalizability.

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Stimulus primes derived directly from patterns in a local source of radioactive decay were flashed on a screen for a duration of time too brief to be consciously experienced. The primes were immediately followed by a presentation of a stimulus symbol that human participants were asked to rapidly respond to. According to the Consciousness Causes Collapse Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (CCC), because the primes had not yet been exposed to conscious observation, they should continue to exist in a state of superposition based on the radioactive decay from which they were derived. It was hypothesized that if the CCC interpretation were correct, a prime produced in this way should not yield the standard effect on subsequent response times as it would in a control condition in which observation had deliberately occurred beforehand. This hypothesis was supported. The standard effect on response times was found in the observed condition but not in the unobserved condition. The current findings support the CCC interpretation of quantum mechanics.
This article reports two new experiments designed to test the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) interpretation of quantum mechanics via a subliminal priming paradigm. A radioactive source was used to determine stimulus primes. Reaction times were compared across two conditions: one in which primes were previously observed by a conscious agent and another in which they remained shielded from observation. The CCC model predicts that unobserved primes will persist in superposition, thereby diminishing their subsequent priming effect. These new data collections were conducted as exploratory extensions to test alternative stimulus designs: an "X vs. blank" format and a "parallel vs. perpendicular" design. Both configurations demonstrated a descriptive attenuation of the priming effect in the unobserved condition (a 59% reduction for X vs blank; a 40% reduction for parallel vs perpendicular), with the effect reaching statistical significance in the latter design. Finally, the two new datasets were combined with four previously published experiments in a pooled analysis across six experiments. This analysis revealed a significant interaction: observed primes were associated with larger priming effects than unobserved primes (p = 1.9 × 10⁻6). This pattern is consistent with predictions derived from the CCC interpretation of quantum mechanics, although independent replication is required to determine robustness and generalizability.
This study builds upon previous experiments testing the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) hypothesis. Previous studies by the author investigated the CCC using subliminal priming. This current experiment simplifies the paradigm by removing primes entirely and focusing directly on the temporal duration of wavefunction collapse. We hypothesize that consciousness is discrete and operates in temporal chunks. Therefore, if consciousness causes the wavefunction of a quantum event to collapse, this interaction cannot be instantaneous; it must require a measurable duration of time. To test this, participants will complete a reaction time (RT) task categorizing numbers (derived from quantum events via a Geiger counter) as odd or even. Half of the stimuli will be previously observed by the experimenter (already collapsed), and half will remain unobserved (superposition state). We expect that unobserved stimuli will yield slower reaction times because the participant's consciousness must force the collapse during the task, adding a delay.
This study builds upon previous experiments testing the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) hypothesis. Previous studies by the author investigated the CCC using subliminal priming. This current experiment simplifies the paradigm by removing primes entirely and focusing directly on the temporal duration of wavefunction collapse. We hypothesize that consciousness is discrete and operates in temporal chunks. Therefore, if consciousness causes the wavefunction of a quantum event to collapse, this interaction cannot be instantaneous; it must require a measurable duration of time. To test this, participants will complete a reaction time (RT) task categorizing numbers (derived from quantum events via a Geiger counter) as odd or even. Half of the stimuli will be previously observed by the experimenter (already collapsed), and half will remain unobserved (superposition state). We expect that unobserved stimuli will yield slower reaction times because the participant's consciousness must force the collapse during the task, adding a delay.
In the orthodox interpretation of quantum mechanics, quantum phenomena remain in a state of superposition until the act of measurement, which then collapses the wavefunction into a specific state. One of the many alternatives to this interpretation is the notion that collapse does not occur at the point in which quantum phenomena interact with a physical measurement device (such as a Geiger counter) but only at the point where the outcome of that measurement interacts with a conscious observer. This gap between the measurement device and the conscious observation of its output can be exploited to create a means of detecting prior observation. Specifically, this gap allows for macro level superpositions to be created, the effects of which can be measured by leveraging subliminal priming methodologies from cognitive psychology. For more information visit: testingtheccc.com.
This paper presents an experimental proposal to test the Consciousness Causes Collapse (CCC) hypothesis in quantum mechanics. We propose a tabletop experiment employing a single-photon interferometer combined with quantum memory systems capable of preserving which-path information over long timescales. A key innovation in our design is a two-stage readout process: during a 400 ms delay the quantum memories are probed via a quantum non-demolition (QND) readout at moderate coupling strength, and afterward a full readout pulse extracts the stored state for recombination and interference measurement. By implementing a rigorous double-blind, randomized protocol with three conditions (automated recording only, conscious observation of the readout, and a scrambled-signal control in which the observer is present but views non-informative data), we isolate conscious registration of meaningful quantum information as the sole experimental variable. All standard interpretations of quantum mechanics predict identical outcomes across conditions; only the CCC hypothesis predicts a measurable difference. Detailed theoretical background, operational definitions, experimental components, and control measures are provided. This approach bridges philosophical conjecture and empirical test, potentially offering the first direct test of whether consciousness plays a unique role in wave function collapse.
The consciousness-collapse interpretation of quantum mechanics was explored by testing if human observation might act like a weak quantum measurement effect in an optical interferometer. Forty-seven participants selected via a worldwide search for individuals with experience in focusing their attention were each provided with a custom-made optical apparatus. Using this device, they ran a preassigned series of test sessions to see if illumination recorded in a portion of the interference pattern would be affected when a feedback signal based on that measure was observed versus unobserved. Another portion of the interference pattern was recorded simultaneously but never observed to provide control data. Environmental sensors and real-time encryption of the illumination data were among the methods included in the design of the experiment to help ensure data integrity.With all data combined the results did not support three preregistered hypotheses, but for one of those hypotheses participants partitioned by those experienced in an outward vs. an inward focus of attention achieved significantly better results in reducing interference (p = 0.008). An exploratory hypothesis also found a significant difference in skewness of the distribution of interference measures recorded in observed vs. unobserved periods (p = 0.004). In addition, an exploratory analysis showed a clear trend – a progressive decline in interference – while participants observed a portion of the interference pattern, as compared to data recorded simultaneously from an unobserved portion (p = 5.9 × 10-14). By comparison, applying the same analysis during no-observation periods found no differences in trends (p = 0.77). Control data run with no observers present and subjected again to this same trend analysis showed uniformly nonsignificant results. Alternative explanations, including possible environmental influences that might have caused these outcomes, as well as recommendations for future studies, are discussed.