Effect of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) on Perception of Part-Whole Relationships
Donald M. Krus, Seymour Wapner
The Journal of Psychology July 1, 1959 DOI: 10.1080/00223980.1959.9916343 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA single dose of LSD-25 altered how people perceive part-whole relationships, making them more attentive to details at the expense of the overall configuration. Participants who received LSD showed a reduced ability to integrate individual parts into a coherent whole compared to those who received a placebo. The effect was most pronounced in tasks requiring the recognition of incomplete figures, where LSD-treated individuals identified fragmented shapes less accurately. These findings suggest that LSD disrupts the normal perceptual organization that allows the brain to assemble discrete elements into unified wholes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Psychology Perception |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key finding | LSD-25 impaired participants' ability to perceive part-whole relationships, reducing their capacity to integrate details into a coherent whole. |
Abstract
(1959). Effect of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25) on Perception of Part-Whole Relationships. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 87-95.