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On Being Stoned, by Charles Tart

  On Being Stoned

    Charles T. Tart, Ph. D.

        Chapter 27.    Age, Sex, and Educational Level


AGE

    BECAUSE MOST RESPONDENTS were young, only two age ranges could be used for analysis purposes, namely, those younger than 25 (72 percent of the sample) and those 25 or older (28 percent of the sample).
    Overall, the age variable was not particularly significant. Twenty-three analyses were significant at the .05 level, where about 19 would be expected by chance; and 5 were significant at the .01 level, when 4 would be expected by chance. None were significant at the .001 level. This may result from the restricted range. Thus many of the differences summarized below are probably artifactual. These differences must be regarded primarily as possible guides to further research, rather than as solid findings.
    Table 27-1 summarizes significant differences in frequency of occurrence of 18 various effects, and Table 27-2 summarizes 10 significant differences in minimal level of intoxication. General frequency of occurrence data is also presented in the usual type style code.

 

MALE AND FEMALE

    Forty-nine percent of the respondents were males, 27 percent were females. The rest could not be classified because of a clerical error that omitted the sex blank on some of the questionnaires.
    Overall, the sex variable was not very significant. Twenty-five analyses were significant at the .05 level when about 19 would be expected by chance, and only one was significant at the .01 level, when about four would be expected by chance. The differences summarized in Table 27-3 and 27-4 should be taken only as guidelines for further research.
    Overall frequencies of occurrence are coded in the tables by the usual type style convention.

 

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

    Seventy-two percent of the users were in college or had a bachelor's degree of some sort. Twenty-one percent were in graduate school or had advanced degrees (M.A., M.S., M.D., Ed.D., or Ph.D.). These are the College-educated and the Professional groups, respectively, in our analysis. Seven percent of the users were in various educational level groups too small to be analyzable.
    Educational level was a significant background variable. Thirty-four analyses were significant at the .05 level instead of the 19 expected by chance, and 11 at the .01 level, rather than the four expected by chance Thus many of the differences summarized in the following two tables are potentially replicable findings as well as guides to research.
    Tables 27-5 and 27-6 summarize significant differences in frequency of occurrence and minimal level of intoxication, respectively. General frequency of occurrence data is preserved in the type style code.
    Although it is risky to comment on the overall patterning of results when a fair number of them may be due to chance, there is a general pattern of the College-educated having more sensory enhancement types of experiences.

 

TABLE 27-1
AGE AND FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS INTOXICATION EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Older users (25+) more frequently experience:
    Hearing AUDITORY IMAGERY MORE VIVID.05
    Social OTHERS HAVEN'T NOTICED I’M STONED.01
    Aftereffects     HARD TO GET ORGANIZED NEXT DAY.05
 
Older users (25+) less frequently experience:
    VisionAURAS AROUND OBJECTS.05
    THINGS IN PERIPHERY LOOK DIFFERENT.05
    HALLUCINATIONS.01
    HearingQUALITY OF OWN VOICE CHANGES.05
    Paranormal[a]OOBE's after starting to use marijuana.05
    BodyBODY SEEMS VERY HEAVY.05
    PAIN MORE INTENSE IF CONCENTRATED ON.01
    GET PHYSICALLY RESTLESS.05
    ThoughtABSORBED, ATTENTION MUST BE FORCIBLY GOTTEN.05
    MemorySPONTANEOUSLY RECALL THINGS LONG FORGOTTEN.05
    REMEMBER LESS OF WHAT IS READ .01
    EmotionFEEL EMOTIONS MORE STRONGLY.05
    ControlEASILY SIDETRACKED ON TASKS.05
    COMPULSIVE DESIRE TO GET HIGHER.05
    POOR CONTROL OVER FANTASIES.05
    MiscellaneousFEEL WORLD IS IN BAD SHAPE.05

[a]Not coded as to frequency of occurrence by type style. (See Chapter 10.)

 

TABLE 27-2
AGE AND LEVELS OF INTOXICATION FOR VARIOUS EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Older users (25+) must be more intoxicated to experience:
    Body PAIN MORE INTENSIVE IF CONCENTRATED ON.05
    Control COMPULSIVE DESIRE TO GET HIGHER.05
 
Older users (25+) need be less intoxicated to experience:
    BodyLOSE AWARENESS OF BODY UNLESS STRONG
    STIMULUS DEMANDS ATTENTION
.05
    LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS OF BODY, FLOAT IN LIMITLESS SPACE.05
    SENSE OF BALANCE ERRATIC .05
    ThoughtProlonged blank periods.01
    MemoryWORSE LONG-TERM MEMORY.05
    ControlINHIBITIONS LOWERED.05
    IdentityMERGE WITH CONTEMPLATED OBJECT OR PERSON.05

 

TABLE 27-3
SEX AND FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS INTOXICATION EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Males more frequently experience:
    Paranormal [a]Multiple OOBE's.05
    Body BODY GETS NUMB.05
    Social STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY COMPANIONS.05
    Control CAN COME DOWN AT WILL.05
 
Females more frequently experience:
    VisionVISION BLURRY.05
    TouchOBJECTS SEEM HEAVIER.05
    Paranormal[a]OOBE's per se.05
    Space/TimeTIME PASSES RAPIDLY.05
    TIME STOPS.05
    BodyAWARE OF HEART BEATING.05
    MOVEMENTS EXCEPTIONALLY SMOOTH AND COORDINATED .05
    SENSE OF BALANCE ERRATIC.05
    ThoughtProlonged blank periods.05
    SKIP INTERMEDIATE STEPS IN PROBLEM SOLVING.05
    MemoryGOOD MEMORY FOR PERIODS OF INTOXICATION.05
    EmotionGIGGLE A LOT.05
    ControlBody parts move by themselves.05
    CAN'T COME DOWN AT WILL.05
    IdentityMORE CHILDLIKE, OPEN TO EXPERIENCE.05

[a]Not coded as to frequency of occurrence by type style. (See Chapter 10.)

 

TABLE 27-4
SEX AND LEVELS OF INTOXICATION FOR VARIOUS EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Males must be more intoxicated to experience:
    HearingSYNESTHESIA.05
    MORE AWARE OF INTERNAL ORGANS.05
    BodyBODY GETS NUMB.01
    BODY FEELS SMALLER.05
    MemoryFORGET START OF SENTENCE.05
    IdentityEVENTS BECOME ARCHETYPAL.05
 
Females must be more intoxicated to experience:
    ControlCAN COME DOWN AT WILL.05

 

TABLE 27-5
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND FREQUENCY OF VARIOUS
INTOXICATION EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Professionals more frequently experience:
    Control CAN COME DOWN AT WILL.01
 
College-educated more frequently experience:
    VisionSENSUAL QUALITY TO VISION.05
    PATTERNS IN VISUALLY AMBIGUOUS MATERIAL.05
    TouchSURFACES FEEL ROUGH, INTERESTING.01
    NEW QUALITIES TO TEMPERATURE .01
    BodyHYPERAWARE OF BREATHING.05
    BODY FEELS LIGHT.01
    PAIN MORE INTENSE IF CONCENTRATED ON.05
    BODY FEELS SMALLER.05
    PHYSICALLY RESTLESS.01
    SocialHARD TO PLAY ORDINARY SOCIAL GAMES.05
    SexCLOSER TO SEXUAL PARTNER, UNION OF SOULS.05
    NEW QUALITIES TO ORGASM.01
    ThoughtABSORBED, ATTENTION MUST BE GOTTEN FORCIBLY.01
    LOSE MENTAL TRACK OF TASK BUT FINISH IT ANYWAY.05
    MemoryWORSENED LONG-TERM MEMORY.05
    GOOD MEMORY FOR PERIODS OF INTOXICATION.05
    ControlEASILY SIDETRACKED.05
    COMPULSIVE DESIRE TO GET HIGHER.05
    POOR FANTASY CONTROL.05
    GOOD FANTASY CONTROL.05
    SpiritualIN TOUCH WITH A HIGHER POWER.05
    MiscellaneousWORLD SEEMS IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE.05
    MORE INVOLVED IN ORDINARY TASKS.01
    INNER FANTASIES AS REAL AS NOCTURNAL DREAMS.05

 

TABLE 27-6
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND LEVELS OF INTOXICATION
FOR VARIOUS EFFECTS
CATEGORYINTOXICATION EFFECTSIGNIFICANCE
LEVEL

Professionals need to be more intoxicated to experience:
    VisionColors get duller.05
    TouchOBJECTS SEEM MORE MASSIVE.05
    Space/TimeAIR, SPACE TAKES ON SOLID QUALITY.05
    BodyMOVEMENTS AWKWARD, UNCOORDINATED.05
    MiscellaneousSOME INNER TRIPS SEEM COMPLETELY REAL.05
 
College-educated need to be more intoxicated to experience:
    HearingSPACE BECOMES AN AUDITORY SPACE.05
    TouchSURFACES FEEL SMOOTHER, SILKIER.05
    SURFACES FEEL ROUGH, INTERESTING.01
    Space/TimeDISTANCES SEEM SHORTER.05
    BodyLOCATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHANGES.01
    AWARE OF HEARTBEAT.05
    SocialTALK MORE.05
    SexNeed sex less.05
    BETTER LOVER WHEN STONED.05
    ThoughtProlonged blank periods.05
    MemoryCONVERSE INTELLIGENTLY DESPITE FORGETTING
    START OF WHAT I SAID
.05
    ControlEASILY SIDETRACKED.05
    SleepEASY TO GO TO SLEEP AT BEDTIME.05
    AftereffectsHARD TO GET ORGANIZED NEXT DAY.05
    IdentityMERGE WITH OBJECT OR PERSON CONTEMPLATED.05

Chapter 28


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