Running head: DISTANT INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND TASK PERFORMANCE
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Distant Intercessory Prayer and Task Performance Lynn M. Munson and Douglas Degelman Vanguard University of Southern California
Author Note Lynn M. Munson, Department of Psychology, Vanguard University of Southern California; Douglas Degelman, Department of Psychology, Vanguard University of Southern California. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Douglas Degelman, Department of Psychology, Vanguard University of Southern California, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. E-mail: ddegelman@vanguard.edu
DISTANT INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND TASK PERFORMANCE Abstract In an extension of research demonstrating causal effects of intercessory prayer for physical healing in a medical setting, the present study experimentally examined the effects of intercessory prayer for improved task performance in an employment setting. Trained customer service representatives either did, or did not, receive (over a 14-day period) daily intercessory prayer for the specific needs and challenges of their workplace. Speed of call handling was evaluated for each customer service representative. The specific dependent measures were number of calls per hour and number of seconds per call. No statistically significant differences between prayer and non-prayer groups were found for either calls per hour or seconds per call. Recommendations for research in this new area of study center on methodological issues, including the selection of relevant dependent measures.
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DISTANT INTERCESSORY PRAYER AND TASK PERFORMANCE Distant Intercessory Prayer and Task Performance Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some types of
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religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental health (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vanderpool, 1991; Maton & Pargament, 1987; Paloma & Pendleton, 1991; Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991). One of...