PARAPSYCHOLOGISTS FIRE BACK AT A NATIONAL ACADEMY REPORT THAT CALLED FIELD UNSCIENTIFIC AND EXERIMENTS FLAWED

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Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP9 QI7,8,Q,F 2ZQQ ZtDQa1f erEducation ? A5
later enlarged Sor Juana's English-speak-
ing audience with translations; Sor Juana
Inds de la Cruz: Poems (Bilingual Preis,
1985) and A Woman of Genius: The Intel-
lectual Autobiography of Sor Juana Inds
de la Cruz (Lime Rock Press, 1982). Ms.
Peden, a professor of Spanish at the Uni
versity of Missouri at Columbia, also
translated Mr. Paz's Sor Juana for Har-
vard.
The got Juana revival will continue next
year, when, for example, as part of its se-
ries on Latin American Literature and Cul-
ture, Wayne Stale University Press plans
to publish Toward a Feminist Understand.
Ing of Sor Juana lnAs de to Cruz, edited by
Stephanie Merrim, an associate professor
of Hispanic studies at Brown,
No Access to Formal Education
Ms. Merrim's book will address all issue
to which she says Mr. Paz pays insufficient
attention-Sor Juana's relation to writing
by other women,
Untold Slstersr Hispanic Nuns in Their
Own Works, a literary study of nuns in
Spain and in Spanish holdings in the New
World during the 16th, 17th, and I8th cen-
turies, will also shed light on that matter.
Edited by Ms. Arenal of Sullen Island and
Stacey Schlau of West Cheater University
of Pennsylvania, it is scheduled for publi-
cation by the University of New Mexico
Press in 1989.
The pivotal event, scholars seem to.
agree, will be the appearance of Mr. Paz's
study in tandem with Mr. Trueblood's an-
thology.
The anthology contains Sor Juana's best
works in poetry and in prose-"First
Dream" and "Reply to Sol Philothea," re-
spectively-as well as a variety of her oth-
er writings, including some excerpts from
The Divine Narcissus, one of her several
plays.
As Mr. Paz shows, those achievements
came against considerable odds.
Juana was born out of wedlock, proba-
bly in 1648, in a village southeast of the city
of Mexico (now Mexico City). At about the
age of 10 she was sent to live with an aunt
in the city.
By necessity-as a woman, she had no
access to a formal education-she was
largely self-taught. She nonetheless pro-
Continued on Page A8
Parapsychologists Fire Back at a National Academy Report
That Called Field Unscientific and Experiments Flawed
By DAVID L. WHEELER
Parapsychologists, who investigate such
phenomena as extrasensory perception,
have fired back at a National Research
Council committee that said their field is
unscientific and their experiments poorly
conducted.
Parapsychologists study psychological
phenomena not readily explainable by the
existing laws of science. They believe
some experiments they frequently conduct
demonstrate unexplainable effects that
point to the possible existence of telepathy
or the power of mind over matter. A report
by a National Research Council commit-
tee, however, said those experiments had
been completely Inconclusive and any pos-
. hive results were due to-metiodolegical
flaws, or "dirty test tubes."
Parapsychologists consider the reputa-
tion of their field and its future support to
be at stake and they have been trying to
discredit the National Research Council
report, "Enhancing Human Performance:
Issues, Theories, and Techniques," re-
leased last year by the National Academy
Press (The Chronicle, December 9, 1987).
The U.S. Army commissioned the report
to see If some performance-improvement
techniques developed outside the main-
stream of science, such as biofeedback,
sleep learning, and extrasensory percep-
tion, might have some value for soldiers.
`No Scientific justification'
Not all of the report deals with parapsy-
chology, but it said there was "no scien-
tific justification from research conducted
over a period of 130 years for the existence
of parapsychological phenomena."
Dean I. Radin, a research psychologist
at Princeton University and the president
of the Parapsychological Association, says
the parapsychologists expected a some-
what negative report but felt the National
Research Council committee had gone to
extremes -including the attempted sup-
pression of evidence favorable to parapsy-
chology-to try to debunk parapsychologi-
cal research.
"Reports like the one by the National
Research Council tend to influence people
who might be interested in funding this
work," says Mr. Radin. "They are not in-
terested in ridicule any more than anyone
else is."
Universities Urged to Set Clearer Policies
on `Gray Areas' of Scientific Misconduct
WASHINGTON
A group of scientists, journal editors,
lawyers, university administrators, and
federal policymakers convened by the In-
stitute of Medicine made a series of recom-
mendations last week that could give uni-
versities a bigger role in encouraging prop-
er scientific conduct.
A number of reports of scientific fraud
this year triggered Congressional investi-
gations of some specific cases and prompt-
ed suggestions that the federal government
should more actively audit the research it
pays for. Scientists who fear such interfer-
ence in research and who have some con-
cerns of their own about ethics in science
are beginning to re-examine their research
practices. Some universities are also tak-
ing a new look at their promotion and ten-
ure policies to see if the policies are en-
couraging rapid-fire publication that could
be promoting bad science.
The Institute of Medicine, which is part
of the National Academy of Sciences, has
put together a committee on scientific re-
sponsibility that is preparing a report for
the National Institutes of Health. The com-
mittee organized last week's workshop, at
which speakers expressed widely diver-
gent views on what to do about preventing
scientific misconduct-not just the blatant
Continued on Page A10
?~~ raw urn,
Dean 4 Radln: "Reports like the one
by the National Research Council
tend to Influence people who might be
Interested in funding this work"
Ray Hyman, a professor of psychology
at the University of Oregon and one of two
people on the research council's commit-
tee who evaluated parapsychology, de-
scribes the parapsychologists' criticisms
of the committee's report as "kind of sil-
ly..,
Some Experiments Worth Following
"The parapsychologists should be re-
joicing," he says. "This was the first gov-
ernment committee that said their work
should be taken seriously."
The report recommended that the Army
continue to "monitor" some parapsycho-
logical research and occasionally visit
some laboratories, including one at Prince-
ton University. The committee said the re-
search worth following included "Ganz-
feld" experiments intended to measure te-
lepathy and experiments in which research
subjects try to mentally force a random-
number-generating device to emit numbers
that are not random.
Mr. Hyman says the parapsychologists
Continued on Page A10
Bones t f the `Supersaurus , Superconductivity Advance; Professionals and Part-Time Work
A field worker sketches a twill that researchers say belongs
to the gigantic "Supersaurus" dinosaur.
Researchers from Brigham Young
University have unearthed what they
say is the largest complex of dinosaur
pelvic bones that have ever been dis-
covered.
The massive fossils include several
(used vertebrae and the pelvic bones of
what was believed to be a plant-eating
Sapersaurus dinosaur.
The Brigham Young researchers esti-
mated that the dinosaur measured 120
feet in length and weighed between 20
and 30 tons when it died some 135 mil-
lion years ago.
The complex of bones, which meas-
ured 73 Inches by 52 Inches, was uncov-
ered August 18 at Dry Mesa Quarry
near Delta, Colo.
Researchers said the new find was
important because it would help to set-
tie the debate over how Supersaurus
was related to a smaller dinosaur known
as Diplodocus. -KIM A. MCDONALD
Superconductor Advance
Reported at U. of Arkansas
Two researchers at the University of
Arkansas at Fayetteville have reported
a safer method of making a thallium-
based high-temperature superconduc-
tor. a material that, when chilled, is
capable of transmitting electricity with
no resistance. Thallium, a poisonous el-
ement used in rat poisons, appears to be
a necessary element in the preparation
of superconductors with the most desir-
able properties.
A thallium-barium-calcium copper
Continued on Page A8
Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200270001-8
Reproduced with permission of copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited.
 A 10 ? The Chronicle of Higher Education ? September 14, 1988
Ap roved, For Rase 2x00/48/O8 : CIA-~2RP96-00789R002200270001-8
Pa t ~syC o ogistS Sport to nticism ie cl -e? the "sender" cannot mark
the Picture in a way a eceiver"
Coninswd from Page AS
are pushing for acceptance by other
researchers too soon. Many parapsy-
ehologisns are well trained, he says,
but are often not following widely ac.
cepted atandards for experiments. "I
think their experiments should be an
embarrassment to them," he says.
"They need to go back to their lab-
oratories and clean up their act."
The Parapsychological Associa-
tion, which has about 250 members,
has replied to the research council's
committee with a 29-page critique of
its report.
Large Body of Fissdings Cited
The critique says the "commit-
tee's conclusion far outstrips the
scope of its investigation.... Para-
psychologists have accumulated a
large body of experimental findings
that (a) suggest important new means
of human interaction with their envi-
ronment and (b) cannot be plausibly
attributal to known conventional
mechanisms."
In one kind of experiment, cited
both by many parapsychologists and images that were in their mind during
by their critics as being the beat work the Canzfeld state, If the receiver
parapsychologists have done, re- picks the image that the sender was
search subjects are placed in a reclin- shown, it is considered a "hit" or a
ins chair in a soundproofed room positive result.
with "while noise" piped into their
ears and goggles or halves of Ping.
Pons balls placed over their eyes so The experiments vary in their ex.
they see a uniform field of light. The =I design, but Mr. Rodin says that,
blandness of their sensory environ- taken as a group, they demonstrate
ment puts them into a reportedly that "information can be transmitted
pleasant, altered mental state, or in ways we don't understand yet."
"Ganelcld." Some parapsycholo- The H:a.c. committee's Mr. Hy-
gists believe this state makes the re- man attributes research results imli.
search subjects more receptive to catin`lelfpathy or other paranormal
telepathic messages. communication to poorly designed
In a separate room, a researcher experiments. Hi says that, if pant-
selects a videotape or a still picture normal communication is to be,
from a group and shows another re- proved, experimenters first have to
search subject an Image, which he or be certain that the selection of images
she tries to transmit mentally to the is completely random. No such proof
person in the Ganzfeld state. After a is given in Ganzfeld experiments, he
set time, the "receiver," or person in says, and poor methods of randomly
the Gaszfeld state, is brought out of selecting an image are used, such as
She state and is shown the same hand shuffling.
group of videotapes or pictures. He also says the experimenters
The receivers are asked to pick the should use two sets of the same im-
image that most closelywiates to the ages-be theynsill pictures or video-
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might notice. Mr. Hyman says other
cues also might make it possible for
receivers to detect which image was
used unless the experimenter has two
seta of images.
Ina second kind of common para.
psychology experiment, research
subjects try mentally to influence
machines that generate numbers ran-
domly. In the usual version of these
experiments, an electronic device
generates a random series of zeroes
and ones, and the subject of the ex.
periment tries to push the string of
numbers mentally either in the direc-
tion of more zeroes or more ones.
Mr. Raclin, who has analyzed 597
random-number-generator experi-
ments done by 68 researchers, says
the results Indicate that the random-
number generators are somehow be-
ing influenced away from random.
Bess.
"The statistics indicate that the re-
sults are so far away from chance
that chance Is not a possible explana-
tion," he says. "I'm not saying it's
something psychic, but there is some
artifact there. And so Per I haven't
been able to find any normal artifact
that might explain the results."
Once again, Mr. Hyman says the
parapsychologists don't have enough
proof that the random-number gener.
ators are really random, and without
that proof he says the experiments
we meaningless.
The parapsychologists also had
some political quarrels with the Na-
tional Research Council's report.
They charged that the committee
chairman had asked the author of a
background paper commissioned for
the report to withdraw hie conclusion
that the Ganzfetd experiments are
meth logi
hodocallysound.
T chairman. John A. Swets,
chief scientist at Bolt Beranek and
Newman, a Cambridge, Mass., con-
sulting firm, says he did ask Robert
Rosenthal, a professor of social psy-
chology at Harvard University, if he
would eliminate his conclusions
about the Ganrfeld experiments from
his paper. Mr. Swets says the com-
mittee preferred its own analysis of
the Ganzfeld experiments. "We
thought the quality of our analysis
was better, and we didn't see much
point in putting out mixed signals,"
says Mr. Swell. "I didn't feel we
were obliged to represent every point
of view."
Mr. Rosenthal said he thought it
was "inappropriate" of Mr. Swets to
ask him and Monies J. Harris, a grad-
uate student, to withdraw their con-
clusions about the Ganzfeld experi-
ments. The conclusions were ulti-
mately kept in the background paper
but not included in the report.
Makeup of Committee Criticized
The parapsychologists also say the
committee was unfairly stacked with
avowed critics of parapsychology
and should have had at least one
parapsychologist on it.
Mr. Swels says the committee
didn't have any members who were
advocates for the performance-en-
hancemeet methods being evaluated.
Mr. Hyman, who is a cognitive psy-
chologist interested in the subject of
human error, says he has written
about parapsychology since the
1950's. "I'm one of the few critics
who knows them, who reads their lit-
oratore, and who goes to their con-
ventions."
He says he is neutral. "I don't care
about parapsychology," he says.
"To me it's a very dull topic."
Even if parapsychologists discover
the existence of special mental pow-
ers outside of what is sow known,
Mr. Hyman says he believes the
powers will be so elusive and so sub-
tle that they can't be controlled. If
anything, he says, parapsychologists
will only find a "cosmic hiccup."
Copies of the Parapsychological
Association's critique, "Reply to the
National Research Council Study on
Parapsychology," are available for
$2 from the Parapsychological Asso-
ciation, P.O. Box 12236. Research
Triangle Park, N.C. 27709.
Policies on Scientific Misconduct
Convinced from Page AS
fabrication of data, but sloppy re-
search practices.
Despite the differences, six panels
that met for two days came up with
some specific recommendations for
preventing misconduct and poor re-
search practices. The panels recom-
Inended that universities have:
? Specific policies requiring scien-
tists to keep data to support pub-
lished papers and encouraging scien-
tists to give the data to others who
want to check their results.
^ Guidelines for the heads of lab-
oratories and the mentors of research
trainees about their responsibilities
to trainees. Such guidelines would
make sure students and trainees
knew who was supposed to be train-
ing them and whom they could turn
to for help. Some training in the eth-
ics of science and good research
practices might also be required,
? Written policies making it clear
that those who are not directly in.
volved with research should not be
named as the authors of scientific pa.
pen. The policies would end the
practice in some laboratories of auto-
matically making the head of a lab-
oratory an author on every paper
coming oat of the laboratory.
Arnold S. Relman, editor of the
New England Journal of Medicine,
spoke in support of a larger role for
the institutions where scientists are
based. "Institutions have to take
more of a role in making sure good
publication practices are followed,"
he said. "We editors cannot possibly
investigate and insure the validity of
every author's time on each paper."
An enhanced role for universities
and other research institutions was
not supported by everyone at the
workshop.
Some scientists argued that the en-
couragement of good research prac-
tices should come from the laborato-
ry itself, without outside interference
by the university.
The Institute of Medicine work-
shop was intended to look at "gray
areas" where blatant fraud is not in-
volved but where research practices
might still be questionable,
William Raub. deputy director of
the National Institutes of Health,
said much attention had been given
to big scientific sins, such as plagia-
rism, but less attention had been giv-
en to the little sins-sloppy record.
keeping. poor supervision of re-
searchers, selective reporting of
data, publishing the same data in
many journals, and the use of the
"least publishable unit."
That term refers to scientists who
write papers the moment they have
enough significant data, instead of
waiting to confirm those data or ex-
pand on them.
Thera is no apparent consensus
on how bad these sins arc, what the
standards should be, or if there
should be standards," said Mr.
Raub. -DAVID L. WHEELER.
Reproduced with par tpisevie fF:,a*ReLea-seF2iiQG/0tWO c GiIAtrR?R96-00789ROO2200270001-8