Searching for psychological predictors of the substitution perception phenomenon: an analysis of anticipation, empathy, and sensory sensitivity in participants

The purpose of the study is to identify the psychological characteristics of individuals who demonstrated a pronounced manifestation of the phenomenon of substitute perception during the experimental study, in order to test the hypothesis regarding the presence of specific predictors in this category of subjects: elevated levels of anticipation, empathy, and sensory sensitivity. Research methods and organization. The total sample size was 190 individuals. The main group consisted of participants from systemic-phenomenological groups who had previously demonstrated the ability for substitute perception. Their psychological profile was assessed using V.D. Mendelevich's test of anticipatory capability, V.V. Boiko's methodology for empathic abilities, and E. Aroun's Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS). To verify the HSPS data, a control group was formed from among women residing in a megacity. The study employed methods of quantitative and comparative analysis. Research results and conclusions. It has been established that the levels of anticipation and empathy in respondents are not predictors of the ability for substitute perception and are often below the average norm. It has been found that the key psychophysiological condition for the realization of the phenomenon is not 'hypersensitivity,' but the absence of a lowered threshold of sensory sensitivity (sensory barriers), which ensures the openness of perception channels. The obtained data allow to assert that the phenomenon of substitute perception is not associated with specific personality traits, but is a manifestation of the specific mechanisms of orienting activity, accessible under certain sensory lability.