DISCUSSION

The hypothesis of this experiment is that a subject whose behavior illustrates a certain hypothesized Level of Human Existence will perceive and recognize words representing that level more quickly than words representing other levels.

The data of Table 3 indicate that all 12 subjects recognized the words of their hypothesized level, as determined by the criteria of Table 1, at a mean time which was quicker than the mean recognition time for all 20 words. Moreover, if one plots the mean recognition time of each group of words for each subject, one observes that the speed of recognition of each group of words increases as the subject’s hypothesized level is approached and then decreases in a roughly constant manner. (See Figures I – IV)

That is, for each subject except #2 of Figure II and #3 of Figure IV, the time required for recognition of the words for the levels on either side of the subject’s hypothesized level undergoes a constant increase. One may speculate that this observation illustrates the role of selective perception for areas which have varying degrees of value or meaning for the subject, and thus supports, to a degree, the progressive subordination aspect of Graves’ Level Theory.

That is, if each qualitatively different stage of behavior follows an emergent or unfolding pattern and eventually becomes subordinated to newer emerging systems, then certain aspects or portions of both higher and lower levels of behavior will be present within the individual. If the relative times of recognition may serve as a basis of speculation, then it appears that tendencies toward the behavior of levels both below and above one’s own undergo a rough decreases with each succeeding level.

The data of observation were confirmed by statistical analysis. For each subject, the words we classified as pertinent, or those 5 representing his hypothesized level, and non-pertinent, or the remaining 15. His time of recognition for each word was similarly classified as quicker or slower than his mean time for all 20 words.

Combining the results for all 12 subjects into a two-by-two contingency table (Table 5), a chi-square test of independence was performed. The obtained chi-square value of 16.58 indicates, at a high level of confidence, that the association between hypothesized level and time of recognition is not random.

One area of observation which could not be easily quantified but which is of value to further experimentation on Level Theory concerns the subject’s pre-cognition responses. On several occasions a subject would not only make an incorrect response which fell in the same conceptual area as his hypothesized level, but would respond with one of the words which had been chosen to represent his value or behavioral level, in many cases before the word had been shown.                                                                                                

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