However, many reports involve an auditory component, particularly where a conversation seems eerily familiar: Several issues require explication before any complete understanding of the phenomenon can occur, including (1) why déjà vu is less likely with older adults, (2) why déjà vu occurs in both mundane and unique settings, (3) why déjà vu is rarely reported by those with serious memory problems, and (4) why the illusion so often involves a sense of precognition or prior dream.ĭéjà vu research has primarily emphasized the visual dimension in anecdotal reports, theoretical speculation, and empirical demonstrations ( Brown, 2004 Brown et al., 1994 Neppe, 1983). Implicit memory and double perception hold explanatory promise, and evolving research technologies in brain recording and stimulation, psychopharmacology, and virtual reality may also prove useful in clarifying the external (stimuli) and internal (cognitive processing mechanisms) factors that have the capacity to elicit déjà vu (cf. There is probably no single cause for déjà vu any more than there is one cause for headaches ( Neppe, 1983a). However, attempts to model different aspects of the illusion may provide a creative source of research ideas on cognition in general ( Seamon et al., 1983 Jacoby and Whitehouse, 1989 Bernstein and Welch, 1991 Joordens and Merikle, 1992 Brown and Marsh, 2005 O’Conner et al., 2006). Given the rarity of déjà vu, the enigmatic nature of the causative factors, and amorphous response, eliciting a déjà vu experience in the lab may be problematic. The illusion is more likely to occur in individuals with more education, travel experience, and liberal attitudes.
Déjà vu experiences are generally brief (several seconds long), triggered by the entire setting, and are more likely to occur indoors, while relaxing, and in the company of friends.
Most experients have had déjà vu multiple times, generally once every 1 to 6 months in a younger sample (cf. Brown, in Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference, 2008 2.21.13 Summary and Future Directionsĭéjà vu is a recognition illusion experienced by about two-thirds of individuals, and the incidence generally decreases with age.