Deja Vu Essay

667 Words3 Pages
Research Paper Physical Science Déjà Vu, the Unknown There has recently been an increase in interest among cognitive psychologist in the déjà vu phenomenon (O’Connor, 2010). The term déjà vu means, literally, ‘already seen’ ( Kalra, 2007). It has eluded explanation and fascinated neurologists, pyschologists, philosophers, and public for centuries (Wild, 2006). Déjà vu has become a cover-all label for any hard to explain occurrences which have an eerie and unexpected recognition, or just someone having trouble identifying the events that seem so strangely and intensely familiar(Funkhouser,1996). Déjà vu has been mistaken for many other associations ranging from reincarnation to temporal lobe epilepsy. So many so, that déjà vu can be divided into three forms: deja vecu, deja senti, and deja visite (Funkhouser,1996). The first form of Déjà vu is deja vecu. Deja vecu means “already experienced or lived through” (Funkhouser,1996). Déjà vu is the most common déjà vu experience and involves the sensation of having done something or having been in an identical situation before knowing what will happen next. Deja vecu stresses contextual details and associated feelings and thoughts. As such, it parallels recollection, where in remembering an event we are able to draw up contextual information, and the specifics of a previously experienced event (Conway, 2005). These sensations are often felt through several senses: hearing, seeing, taste, touch, and proprioceptive perceptions. The experience is usually very detailed and often connected to everyday activities, such as; grocery shopping or seeing the latest movie. Although the experience itself lasts from only a second to several minutes, it can often be remembered in minute detail long after the experience has occurred. One third of the population has had such or similar experiences and surveys have
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