Feeling the future again: Retroactive avoidance of negative stimuli

Abstract

During the past decades, several theories have been proposed that relate quantum mechanics to information processing in the human mind. These theories predict that the arrow of time has no direction during unconscious processing states. Across 7 experiments, we tested whether masked negative stimuli presented in the future lead to an unconscious avoidance reaction in the present. Response registration took place about 500 milliseconds before stimulus onset. In the majority of the studies the predicted retroactive influence was found. On average, participants were able to unconsciously avoid negative future outcomes (mean ES = 0.07; Combined Bayes factor = 293). These results are in line with similar precognitive avoidance effects recently reported by Daryl Bem in 2011 (Experiment 2). The reported findings are discussed with regard to the proposed quantum model of the mind. We also highlight the limitations of our research.