FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ABOUT PARAPSYCHOLOGY DRAFT 3

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 20
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 19, 2000
• Sequence Number: 55
• Publication Date: June 6, 1995
• Content Type: PAPER

+Pi
'CI mc..1 ? fh c PN 04,r
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
d7-c
1(e9 P[t
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Parapsychology (4
DRAFT 3
WHO COMPILED THIS FAQ?
This FAQ was compiled by an ad-hoc group of scientists and scholars
interested in parapsychology, the study of what is popularly called
"psychic" phenomena. The disciplines represented in this group include
physics, psycholegy, philosophy, statistics, mathematics, computer
science, chemistry, anthropology, and history. The major contributors
and their affiliations are listed at the end of this document.
The majority of this group are members of the Parapsychological
Association (PA). The PA is an international professional society
founded in 1957 and elected an affilate of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science in 1969. While this FAQ is not an official
publication of the PA, the contributors do include several past-
Presidents of the PA, including the current (1995) President, and past
and present members of the Board of Directors of the PA. The authors'
cumulative research experience with parapsychological topics is
estimated at over 400 years.
The group aimed for consensus on each FAQ item, but as in many
intellectual pursuits, especially in young, multidisciplinary domains,
there were some sharp disagreements. In spite of these disagreements,
the authors believe that because of burgeoning public interest in
parapsychology, the relative lack of reliable information, and the many
myths and distortions associated with this field, it was important to
put some basic information on the World Wide Web sooner rather than
later.
We plan on eventually providing a comprehensive source of information on
parapsychology, including details on the major topics of debate, the
prevailing theories, discussions of empirical evidence, links to journal
papers, reference sources, and so on. In addition, the FAQ will
eventually include links to mission statements and photos from the major
parapsychological research centers, individual researchers' home pages,
and home pages for relevant scientific and scholarly societies.
To submit questions for this FAQ, send email to
WHO IS THE INTENDED AUDIENCE?
This FAQ was written as a general introduction to parapsychology for
individuals ranging from advanced high-school students to professionals
with little or no background in parapsychology. Writing for such a
broad audience is a challenge, because gaining an appreciation of
parapsychology today requires specialized knowledge including advanced
statistics, specialized experimental design, quantum mechanical theory,
artificial intelligence techniques, the sociology and philosophy of
.-ivk cal rb
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
science, and specific historical knowledge.
Because our expected audience is so broad, we decided to avoid most of
the technical issues and specialty topics. Of course, this means we
_must also skip over many interesting subjects and debates within the
field. Therefore, the approach here is to clarify the complex topic of
parapsychology without glossing over important points and without
"dumbing down" the basic content. For a few particularly tricky issues
that we did wish to cover here, we've included sections labelled
"Technical Note."
TECHNICAL NOTE: AUDIENCE
The content and style of this FAQ sparked a vigorous debate among the
authors. At least five potential audiences were identified: physical
scientists, social and behavioral scientists, hardened skeptics, New-Age
enthusiasts, and readers with little or no background in one of the
conventional sciences or in parapsychology.
For physical scientists, we felt it was important to discuss methodology
and terminology, and comment on some common criticisms of
parapsychology. It was less critical to discuss implications of the
phenomena. For social and behavioral scientists, we focused on the
psychological and sociological implications of the fact that people
throughout history and across all cultures have reported psychic
experiences. We also added some of the implications of the phenomena.
For hardened skeptics, or people whose knowledge of parapsychology is
based solely upon the skeptical literature, we felt it was important to
address the fact that there is substantial, scientifically persuasive
empirical data available. For people with New-Age interests,
enthusiasms, or assumptions, we felt that at least part of the purpose
here would be to indicate the limits of what the scientific data
actually justify. And for readers or high school students who know
little or nothing about the topic, or about science and scientific
methods, we've applied a broad-brush approach to cover as much of the
field as possible in a single document. (Hyperlinks added in future
editions will help flesh out this FAQ.)
WHAT IS PARAPSYCHOLOGY?
Parapsychology is the scientific and scholarly study of unusual events
associated with human experience. These events seem to fall outside the
nature of purely subjective or purely objective experience.
A long-held, common-sense assumption is that the worlds of the
subjective and objective are completely distinct, with no overlap.
Subjective is "here in the head," and objective is "there out in the
world." Parapsychology is the study of phenomena suggesting that the
strict subjective/objective dichotomy may instead be part of a spectrum,
with some phenomena occasionally falling between purely subjective and
purely objective. We call such phenomena "anomalous" because they are
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
' Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
difficult to explain with current scientific models.
These anomalies fall into three general categories: ESP (terms are
defined below), PK, and phenomena suggestive of survival after bodily
death, including near-death experiences and apparitions. Most
parapsychologists today expect that further research will eventually
explain these anomalies in scientific terms, although it is not clear
whether they can be fully understood given the current state of
scientific knowledge.
WHAT IS NOT PARAPSYCHOLOGY?
In spite of what the media often imply, parapsychology is not the study
of "anything paranormal" or bizzare. Nor is parapsychology concerned
with astrology, UFOs, searching for Bigfoot, paganism, vampires,
alchemy, witchcraft, or spontaneous human combustion.
Many scientists view parapsychology with great suspicion because the
term has come to be associated with a huge variety of mysterious
phenomena, fringe topics, and pseudoscience. Parapsychology is also
often linked, again inappropriately, with a broad range of "psychic"
entertainers, magicians, and self-proclaimed "paranormal investigators."
WHAT DO PARAPSYCHOLOGISTS STUDY?
Parapsychology is the study of unexplained phenomena associated with
consciousness and the mind. Perhaps the strangest, and most intriguing,
aspect of these phenomena is that they do not appear to be limited by
the known boundaries of space or time. In addition, they blur the sharp
distinction usually made between mind and matter. In popular usage, the
basic parapsychological phenomena are categorized as follows:
Telepathy Direct mind-to-mind communication.
Precognition Also called prescience or premonition. Obtaining
information about future events, where the information
could not be inferred through normal means. Many
people report dreams that appear to be precognitive.
Retrocognition Obtaining information about past events, where the
events were previously unknown to the percipient.
Clairvoyance Also called remote viewing; obtaining information about
events or objects at remote locations, beyond the reach
of the normal senses.
ESP Extra-sensory perception; a general term for obtaining
information about events beyond the reach of the normal
senses. This term subsumes telepathy, clairvoyance,
precognition, and retrocognition.
Psychokinesis Also called PK; direct mental interaction with physical
objects, animate or inanimate.
Bio-PK Direct mental interactions with living systems.
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16: CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
NDE Near death experience; an experience reported by those
who were revived from nearly dying.
00BE Out-of-body experience; the experience of feeling
separated from the body, often accompanied by
visual perceptions as though from above the body.
Reincarnation Reports, typically from children, of previously living
other lives.
Haunting Reports of apparitions (ghosts, or spirits of
disembodied persons).
Poltergeist Large-scale PK phenomena often attributed to spirits,
but which are now thought to be due to a living person,
frequently an adolescent.
Psi A neutral term for parapsychological phenomena. Psi,
psychic, and psychical are synonyms. -
TECHNICAL NOTE: BASIC TERMS
The above terms are representative of common usage, but it is worth
noting that parapsychologists usually define psi phenomena in more
neutral or operational terms. This is because labels often carry strong
but unstated connotations that can blind us to the true nature of the
phenomena.
As an example, "telepathy" is commonly thought of as mind-reading.
However, in practice, and certainly in laboratory research, experiences
of telepathy rarely involve perception of actual thoughts, and the
experience itself often does not logically require communication between
two minds, but can also be "explained" as clairvoyance or precognition.
It is important to keep in mind that the names and concepts used to
describe psi actually say more about the situations in which the
phenomena are observed, than about any fundamental properties of the
phenomena themselves. That two events are classified the same does not
mean they are actually the same.
In addition, in scientific practice many of the basic terms used above
are accompanied by qualifiers such as "apparent," "putatitve," and
"ostentible." This is because many claims supposedly involving psi may
not be due to psi, but to normal psychological or misinterpreted
physical reasons.
WHY IS PARAPSYCHOLOGY INTERESTING?
Parapsychology is interesting mainly because of the implications of the
phenomena. To list just a few examples, psi phenomena suggest (a) that
what science knows about the nature of universe is seriously incomplete;
(b) that the presumed capabilities and limitations of human potential
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
have been seriously underestimated; (c) that fundamental assumptions and
philosophical beliefs about the separation of mind and body may be
incorrect; and (d) that religious assumptions about the divine nature of
"miracles" may have been mistaken.
As an aside, we should note that many parapsychologists today, including
most of the authors of this FAQ, take an empirical, data-oriented
approach to psi phenomena, and specifically avoid discussing speculative
implications that are not supported by data. However, some researchers
regard the current findings of parapsychology as having a wide variety
of important implications, including implications about the spiritual
nature of humankind. Thus, in deference to the broad readership
expected of this document, we decided to discuss some of the
implications of psi, recognizing that this topic is more speculative
than most.
In general, physicists tend to be interested in parapsychology because
of the implication that we have a gross misunderstanding about space and
time and the transmission of energy and information. Biologists are
interested because psi implies the existence of additional, unexplained
methods of sensing the world. Philosophers are interested because psi
phenomena rigorously address many age-old philosophical problems,
including the role of the mind in the physical world, and the nature of
the objective vs. the subjective.
Theologians and the general public tend to be interested in psi because
of its possible spiritual implications. Historically, one of the
reasons for the founding of psychical research in the late 1800's, a
precursor to modern parapsychology, was to seriously address the growing
rift between religious ideology and the rise of materialistic science.
At that time (late 19th century), religion was increasingly being viewed
by scientists as a collection of mere superstitions and irrational
ideologies, and yet the essence of religions (as opposed to their
political structures and the horrors committed in the name of religion)
were also a major source of values and ethics that helped to formulate
and preserve civilization.
The founders of psychical research wondered if the methods of science
that had worked so well in the physical world might be applied to the
phenomena of spirituality and religion, and thereby help to discriminate
what was real and possibly vital, from nonsense.
From the materialistic perspective, which is one of the foundations of
the scientific worldview, human conscious is nothing but an emergent
product of the functioning of Brain, Body, and Nervous System (BBNS).
That is, no matter how different mind may seem from solid stuff like
bodies, it is generated solely by the electrochemical functioning of the
BBNS, and so it is absolutely dependent on it. When the BBNS dies, so
does consciousness. Therefore, claims of survival of bodily death, or
ghosts, or apparitions, are due to wishful thinking, because such things
automatically determine the ultimate limits of mental functioning, thus 7,t1,0-r
are nonsense. Furthermore, the limits of material functioning
the ideas of ESP and PK are also impossible.
ytectA- -14,44gge
94A)-r.-1,2
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDFM6A9Z91)740
t c6,01. sof, ? )
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Some see the above view, which is based upon prevailing scientific
models, as leading to a nihilistic philosophy of "Eat, drink and be
merry, for tomorrow we die!" Modern restatements of this philosophy,
which underlie much of the Western world's instant-gratification,
_ consumer-oriented mentality, are sayings such as: "Look out for Number
One," or as in advertisements, "You only go around once in life, so grab
for the gusto." Sweeping approval of the "grabbing the gusto" idea
drives much of the interest in medical research on longevity.
Psi phenomen howeve do not seem to it we into e common sense
universe original y a escribed by Isaac Newton and Rene Descartes in the
17th century, and now, after three centuries of development, widely
adopted as the "scientific view." Psi phenomena, which have occurred in
all cultures throughout history, have been and continue to be
interpreted as supporting the idea that there is something more to mind
than the BBNS, that there is some sort of "soul," or the like. This
"non-physical" aspect of human beings, an aspect that does not seem to
be as tightly bounded by space or time as scientific models predict,
might survive bodily death, and seem to create real and vital linkages
between people. From this viewpoint, "No man is an island" is not just
a metaphor, it is true in some deep sense. Likewise, "Looking out for
Number One" is not just selfish, it is impossible, because Number One's
happiness is not really separable from the happiness of all others.
As a young discipline, parapsychology is a long, long way from being
able to say that "the data shows that Xists" (insert your favorite
religious group here) are specifically right about religious doctrines
A, B, and C but dead wrong about dogmas P, Q and R. But some
parapsychologists today feel that the data generated by scientific
methods are now clear and persuasive enough to give general support to
the idea that consciousness seems to be more than merely BBNS, and by
inference, there may be important truths contained in some spiritual
ideas and practices.
We must emphasize, however, that even those researchers who maintain a
strongly personal, spiritual worldview, believe that parapsychology,
practiced as a science, must adhere strictly to widely accepted
scientific principles and procedures. In other words, one can be a
competent scientist, doing legitimate science, without uncritically
accepting that materialistic, positivistic approaches are the only valid
roads to truth.
We must further emphasize that there is a big difference between simply
noting that the findings of parapsychology may have implications for
spiritual concepts, versus the idea that parapsychologists are driven by
some (partly) hidden spiritual agenda. Some critics of parapsychology
seem to believe that all parapsychologists have hidden religious
agendas, and that they are really out to prove the existence of the
soul. This is no more true than claiming that all chemists really
harbor secret ambitions about alchemy, and their real agenda is to
transmute mercury into gold. The reasons why serious investigators are
drawn to any discipline are as diverse as their backgrounds.
Approved For Release 2003/09/16: CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
er
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
61-72/Lj
WHAT a ' PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF PSI?
Studies of dir t mental interaction with living systems suggest that
traditional mental healing techniques, such as prayer, may be based on
genuine psi-mediated effects. In the future it may be possible to
develop enhanced methods of healing based on these phenomena.
Psi may be involved in Murphy's Law: "If anything can go wrong, it
will." That is, modern machines based upon sensitive electronic
circuits, such as copiers and computers, may at times directly interact
with human intention, and as a result, inexplicably fail at inopportune
times. Of course, the converse may also be true. That is, the
possibility exists to repair, or to control sensitive machines solely by
mental means. Such technologies would significantly benefit handicapped
persons.
Other applications include improved methods of making decisions, of
locating missing persons or valuables, and of describing events at
locations we cannot go to because of distance, time, or accessibility.
This includes the possibility of psi-based historians and forecasters.
Highly developed psi abilities may benefit psychotherapy and other forms
of counseling. Psi has been successfully applied to provide a
statistical edge in the financial markets and in locating archeological
treasures. Research is currently in progress to develop a psi-based,
mentally operated switch.
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR RESEARCH APPROACHES?
As in any multidisciplinary domain, there are many ways of conducting
research. The five main methods used in parapsychology are:
(1) Scholarly research, including discussion of philosophical issues and
historical surveys. (2) Analytical research, including statistical
analysis of large databases. (3) Field research, including case
investigations of psi experiences and comparisons of cross-cultural
beliefs and practices related to psi. (4) Theoretical research,
including mathematical, descriptive and phenomenological models of psi.
(5) Experimental research, including laboratory studies of psi effects.
Although all five of these approaches contribute to the field, today the
primary source of "hard evidence" in parapsychology is controlled
laboratory experiments. By applying the exacting standards of
scientific method, researchers have developed an increasingly persuasive
database for certain types of psi phenomena over the past six decades.
Several major experimental paradigms have been developed during this
time, and a select few experiments have now been repeated hundreds of
times by dozens of researchers, world-wide. Sometimes these experiments
are conducted as strict replications, but more often they are
conceptually similar experiments that add controls or extend the range
of questions addressed.
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR PSI EXPERIMENTS TODAY?
Through popular books and portrayals of parapsychology in movies like
"Ghostbusters," many people assume that psi experimenters today
primarily use "ESP cards." This is a deck of 25 cards, with five
repetitions of five cards showing symbols of a square, circle, wavy
line, triangle, or star. While such cards were used extensively in
early psi experiments, mainly by J. B. Rhine and his colleagues from the
1930's through the 1960's, they are rarely used today. Four of the most
prolific and persuasive of the current experiments are the following:
PK ON RANDOM NUMBER GENERATORS
The advent of electronic and computer technologies has allowed
researchers to develop highly automated experiments studying the
interaction between mind and matter. In one such experiment, a Random
Number Generator (RNG) based on electronic or radioactive noise produces
a data stream that is recorded and analysed by computer software.
In the typical RNG experiment, a subject attempts, upon instruction, to
change the distribution of the random numbers, usually in an
experimental design that is functionally equivalent to getting more
"heads" than "tails" while flipping a coin. Of course the electronic,
computerized experiment has many advantages over earlier research using,
e.g., tossed coins or dice. In the RNG experiment, great flexibility is
combined with careful scientific control and a high rate of data
acquisition. The resulting database, compiled over the past 40 years by
nearly 80 researchers, provides clear evidence that human consciousness,
specifically mental intention, can change the statistical behavior of
random physical systems.
PK ON LIVING SYSTEMS
This has also been called bio-PK, and more recently some researchers
refer to it as Direct Mental Interactions with Living Systems (DMILS).
The ability to monitor internal functions of the body, including nervous
system activity using EEG and biofeedback technologies, has provided an
opportunity to ask whether biological systems may also be affected by
intention in a manner similar to PK on RNGs.
A DMILS experiment that has been particularly successful is one that
looks at the commonly reported "feeling of being stared at." The
"starer" and the "staree" are isolated in different locations, and the
starer is periodically asked to simply gaze at the staree via closed
circuit video links. Meanwhile the staree's autonomic activity is
automatically and continuously monitored. The cumulative database on
this and similar DMILS experiments provides strong evidence that one
person's attention directed towards a remote, isolated person, can
significantly activate or calm that person's nervous system, according
to the instructions given to the starer.
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16: CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
iLLEPATHY IN THE GANZFELD
One theory about how perceptual psi works is that the psi "signals" are
often present in the brain, but they are difficult to attend to because
of the noise of normal sensory input. The ganzfeld ("whole field")
technique was developed to quiet this external noise by providing a
mild, unpatterned sensory field to mask the noise of the outside world.
In the typical ganzfeld experiment, the telepathic "sender" and
"receiver" are isolated, the receiver is put into the ganzfeld state,
and the sender is shown a video clip or still picture and asked to
mentally send that image to the receiver.
The receiver, while in the ganzfeld, is asked to continuously report
aloud their mental processes, including images, thoughts, feelings. At
the end of the sending period, typically about 20 to 40 minutes in
length, the receiver is taken out of the ganzfeld, and shown four images
or videos, one of which is the true target and three are non-target
decoys. The receiver attempts to select the true target, using their
perceptions during the ganzfeld state as clues to what the mentally
"sent" image might have been. With no telepathy, chance expectation
allows us to predict that the correct target would be selected about 1
in 4 times, for a 25% "hit rate." After scores of such experiments,
presently totalling about 700 individual sessions conducted by about two
dozen investigators, world-wide, the results show that the target image
is selected on average 34% of the time. This is a highly significant
result, suggesting that telepathy, at least as operationally defined in
this experiment, exists.
REMOTE VIEWING
The ganzfeld technique indicates that information can be exchanged
mentally by sending it from one person to another. The remote viewing
experiment, in one of its many forms, investigates whether information
can be gained without a sender. In a typical remote viewing experiment,
a pool of several hundred photographs are created. One of these is
randomly selected by a third party to be the target, and it is set aside
in a remote location. The experimental participant then attempts to
sketch or otherwise describe that remote target photo. This is repeated
for a total of say, 7 different targets. Many ways of evaluating the
results of this test have been developed, including some highly
sophisticated methods. One common (and easy) method is to take the
group of seven target photos and responses, randomly shuffle the targets
and responses, and then ask independent judges to rank order or match
the correct targets with the participant's actual responses. If there
was real transfer of information, the responses should correspond more
closely to the correct targets than to the mismatched targets.
Several thousand such trials have been conducted by dozens of
investigators over the past 25 years, involving hundreds of
participants. The cumulative database strongly indicates that
information about remote photos, actual scenes, and events can be
perceived. Some of these experiments have also been used to
successfully study precognition by having a participant describe a photo
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
that would be randomly selected in the future.
TECHNICAL NOTE: METHODOLOGY
Parapsychology uses methods commonly employed in other scientific
.
disciplines. Laboratory studies use research methods from psychology,
biology and physics. Field research uses methods from sociology and
anthropology. There are plenty of textbooks on research methods in
these fields, and we won't attempt to summarize them here.
What's special about parapsychology is the need to pay very close
attention to "conventional" explanations. This is because we've defined
psi phenomena as exchanges of information that do not involve currently
known (i.e., conventional) processes. For instance, we talk about "ESP"
when people know about things going on in their environment without
getting the information by seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, or
through any other known sensory input, or without being able to figure
out the "target" information. We talk about "PK" when physical systems
appear to react to people's intentions and there's no known physical
contact between the person and the "target." Words like "without," and
phases like "no known," show up a great deal in descriptions of psi
phenomena.
Therefore, an important part of parapsychological research is
eliminating known contact methods from laboratory setups and thinking
carefully about them when evaluating reports of people's experiences. In
ESP research, this requires knowing about the psychology of sensation,
perception, memory, thinking, and communication, and about the biology
and physics of sensation and movement. In PK studies, it is important
to know about the physical characteristics of the "target," how it
works, and what might affect it. In field studies, and in most
laboratory studies, it's important to know about the ways in which
people can interact with each other. Of course, in field studies it is
much more difficult to eliminate conventional explanations than it is in
the laboratory because you can't set things up beforehand to eliminate
conventional contact between the people and the "targets."
Even when known contact methods are well controlled or eliminated, there
is always the possibility that what we observe could have occurred by
chance. That is, a person's apparent ESP knowledge about some distant
event might be a random guess that just happens to resemble the target.
Or, what looks like a PK effect on a physical system might be a random
change in that system that just happens to occur at the right time. So
it's important to measure how likely it is that the event could have
occurred by chance and know how to decide when that's so unlikely that
it makes more sense to think there really was some kind of psi contact.
Sometimes field research is not concerned with whether the experiences
people report were really psi phenomena, but instead asks questions
like, "What do people report about experiences they think were psi?",
"How does having these experiences affect their lives?", and "Do
people's psychological or cultural characteristics influence how likely
they are to interpret experiences as psi?" This is straightforward
anthropological, sociological, or psychological research and does not
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
require the same kind of strict attention to eliminating conventional
explanations.
The value of the "softer" research methods is that it investigates the
_experiences that people actually report. These are experiences such as
precognitive dreams, out-of-body experiences, telepathic impressions,
auras, memories of previous lives, hauntings and poltergeists and
apparitions. Research on these issues obtains information about
incidence, phenomenology, and demographic and psychological correlates
of the experiences.
While the "spontaneous case research" is less technical in nature, and
often more exciting to read, it is wise to avoid jumping to conclusions
about the nature of psi from individual cases. Such studies examine how
people report or think about their experiences, not what those
experiences actually were. For example, surveys have reported that
people in some cultures are more likely to report having precognitive
dreams, but this does not necessarily mean that these people actually
have more dreams that really are precognitive.
One important goal of the laboratory research is to determine the degree
to which the field observables, or "raw psi" experiences, can be
verified using current scientific methods. If verified in the lab, the
major intent of the lab work shifts from "proof-oriented" research to
"process-oriented," in which the goal is to discover the psychological,
physiological, and physical mechanisms of each phenomenon.
WHAT ARE COMMON CRITICISMS AND RESPONSES ABOUT
PARAPSYCHOLOGY?
Constructive criticism is essential in science and is welcomed by the
majority of active psi researchers. Strong skepticism is expected, and
many parapsychologists are far more skeptical about psi than most
"outside" scientists realize.
However, it is not generally appreciated that some of the more vocal
criticisms about psi are actually "pseudo-criticisms." That is, the
more barbed, belligerent criticisms occasionally asserted by some
skeptics are often issued from such strongly held, prejudicial positions
that the criticisms are not offered as constructive suggestions, but as
authoritarian proofs of the impossibility of psi.
It is commonly supposed by non-scientists that skeptical debates over
the merits of psi research follow the standards of scholarly
discussions. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Disparaging
rhetoric and ad hominem attacks arise too often in debates about psi.
The social science of parapsychology, and the way that science treats
anomalies in general, is a fascinating topic that starkly illuminates
the very human side of how science really works. A more complete
description of this topic is beyond the scope of this FAQ. See
for more information.
CRITICISM
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Criticism: Apparently successful experimental results are actually due
to sloppy procedures, poorly trained researchers, methodological flaws,
selective reporting, and statistics problems. There is therefore not a
shred of scientific evidence for psi phenomena.
Response: These issues have been addressed in detail by meta-analytic
reviews of the experimental literature . The results
unambiguously demonstrate that successful experiments cannot be
explained away by these criticisms. In fact, research by specialists in
scientific methods showed that the best experimental psi research today
is not only conducted according to proper scientific standards, but
usually adheres to more rigorous protocols than are found in
contemporary research in both the social and physical sciences. . In addition, over the years there have been a
number of very effective rebuttals of criticisms of individual studies
, and within the past decade, experimental procedures have been
developed that address virtually all methodological criticisms, even the
possibility of fraud and collusion, by including skeptics in the
experimental procedures .
CRITICISM
Criticism: Psi phenomena violate basic limiting principles of science,
and are therefore impossible.
Response: Twenty years ago, this criticism was a fairly common retort to
claims of psi phenomena. Today, because of rapid advancements in many
scientific disciplines that have launched us into the age of so-called
"post-modern" science, this criticism is no longer relevant, and is
slowly disappearing. The "basic limiting principles of science" seem
to invariably expand as science progresses, thus assigning psi to the
realm of the impossible seems imprudent at best, foolish at worst.
CRITICISM
Criticism: Parapsychology does not have a "repeatable" experiment.
Response: Under the assumption that there is no such thing as psi, we
would expect that about 5% of well-conducted psi experiments would be
declared "successful" (i.e., statistically significant) by pure chance.
But suppose that in a series of 100 actual psi experiments we
consistently observed that 20 were successful. This is extremely
unlikely to occur by chance, suggesting that psi was present in some of
those studies. However, it also means that in any particular
experiment, there is an 80% probability of "failure." Thus, if a critic
set out to repeat a psi experiment to see if the phenomenon was "real,"
and the experiment failed, the skeptic would not be correct to claim on
the basis of that single experiment that psi is not real because it is
not repeatable.
The currently accepted method of determining repeatability in
experiments is called meta-analysis. This quantitative technique is
heavily used in the social, behavioral and medical sciences to integrate
research results of numerous independent experiments. Starting around
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
1985, meta-analyses have been conducted on numerous types of psi
experiments. In many of these analyses , results indicate that
the outcomes were not due to chance, or methodological flaws, or
selective reporting practices, or any other plausible "normal"
explanations. What remains is psi, and in many experimental realms, it
has clearly been replicated by independent investigators.
WHY IS PARAPSYCHOLOGY CONTROVERSIAL?
Parapsychology remains controversial today, even with substantial,
persuasive, and scientifically palatable results, for three main
reasons: First, the media, and much of the public, confuses
parapsychology with sensational, unscientific beliefs and stories about
"the paranormal." This widespread confusion has led many scientists to
instantly dismiss the field as unworthy of serious study, and thus they
are unaware of the existing evidence.
Second, even if someone wanted to study the evidence, much of the
persuasive work is published in recent (i.e., the past ten years)
professional journals, thus finding good-information is a challenge.
This FAQ was produced in an attempt to help diminish this problem.
WHAT IS THE STATE-OF-THE-EVIDENCE FOR PSI?
To be precise, when we say that "X exists," we mean that the presently
available, cumulative statistical database for experiments studying X,
provides strong, scientifically palatable evidence for repeatable,
anomalous, X-like effects.
With the above in mind, ESP exists, precognition exists, telepathy
exists, and PK exists. ESP is statistically robust, meaning it can be
reliably demonstrated through repeated trials, but it tends to be weak
when simple geometric symbols are used as targets. Photographic or
video targets produce effects about 10 times larger, and there is some
evidence that ESP on natural locations (as opposed to photos of them),
and in natural contexts, may be stronger yet. Some PK effects have also
been shown to exist. When individuals focus their attention on
mechanical or electronic devices that fluctuate randomly, the statistics
of the fluctuations change in predictable ways.
WHAT IS THE STATE-OF-THE-THEORY FOR PSI?
Opinions about mechanisms of psi are wide ranging. Because the field
is multidisciplinary, there are physical theories, psychological
theories, psychophysical theories, sociological theories, and
combinations of these.
On one end of the spectrum, the "physicalists" tend to believe that the
"psi sensing capacity" is like any other human sensory system, and as
such it will most likely be explained by known principles from
biophysics, chemistry, and cognitive science. For these theorists, psi
is expected to be accommodated into the existing scientific structure,
with perhaps some modifications or extensions. On the other end of the
spectrum, the "mentalists" assert that reality would not exist if it
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
were not for human consciousness. For these theorists, the nature of
the universe is much more effervescent, thus accommodating psi into
existing scientific models will require significant modification of
science as we know it. Strong theoretical debates are common in
parapsychology in part because spirit, religion, the meaning of life,
and other philosophical conundrums comingle with quantum mechanics,
probability theory, and neurons.
QUESTIONS ABOUT POPULAR PHENOMENA
ARE GHOSTS REAL?
The prevailing view today is that the mysterious physical effects
historically attributed to ghosts (disembodied spirits), such as
movement of objects, strange sounds, enigmatic odors, and failure of
electrical equipment, are actually poltergeist phenomena (see below).
Apparitions that occur without accompanying physical effects are thought
to be either normal psychological effects (i.e., hallucinations), or
possibly genuine information mediated by psi.
ARE POLTERGEISTS REAL?
Poltergeists (from the German, "noisy ghosts") usually manifest as
strange electrical effects and unexplained movement of objects. At one
time, these phenomena were thought to be due to ghosts, but after
decades of investigations by researchers, notably by William G. Roll,
the evidence now suggests that poltergeists are PK effects produced by
one or more individuals, usually troubled adolescents. The term "RSPK,"
meaning "Recurrent Spontaneous PK," was coined to describe this concept.
IF PSI IS REAL, HOW COME CASINOS MAKE SO MUCH MONEY?
The house "take" of the typical casino, i.e. the average percentage of
the bet that the casino keeps, is so large that a person would have to
be able to apply consistently strong psi, at will, to make any notable
difference in long-term casino profits. For example, the house take for
table games like craps and roulette averages about 25%. That means that
on average, for every $100 gambled at the table, the gambler takes home
about $75. Thus, in spite of the fact that the daily house take can
fluctuate between say, 100% (lots of losers) and -100% (lots of
winners), over the long term casino profits are quite predictable and
stable. However, given that some psi effects are known to be genuine,
in principle a good, consistent psychic could make money by gambling.
IS CHANNELING REAL?
Channeling is the claim that a departed spirit can speak or act through
a sensitive person. In the late 1800s, this was called mediumship;
similar claims of communicating with departed spirits can be found
throughout history and across most cultures. Some researchers believe
that cases of exceptional prodigies, like Mozart in music, or Rarnanujan
(spelling?) in mathematics, provide evidence of genuine channeling.
However, some people who claim to channel extraterrestrials, or ancient
masters from Atlantis, can easily perpetrate scams. Afterall, how can
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
we check the validity of the claimed channeling? Some of the material
supposedly channeled by departed spirits, or other-worldly beings, is
clearly nonsense. For more information, see .
ARE LARGE-SCALE PK EFFECTS, LIKE LEVITATION, REAL?
Throughout history there have been many reports of spectacular events,
such as individuals levitating, holy people materializing objects out of
thin air, and people who are able to move, bend or break objects without
touching them. Unfortunately, in most cases individuals who make such
claims hope to capitalize on their "abilities." Because the potential
for fraud is high, and it is relatively easy to create convincing
effects that closely mimic paranormal ones (with conjuring techniques),
trustworthy evidence for such large-scale effects is very poor. There
are a few cases of apparently genuine movement of small objects, but in
general the existence of large-scale, or macro-PK, is still open to
serious question
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF PARAPSYCHOLOY?
NOTE TO PDL READERS: This is a horribly provincal history I've sketched
from memory. Please please please add your own stories to this history
so I can create a brief chronology of the main psi labs worldwide and
what they are known for. I apologize in advance for leaving out places
and people which are obviously critical parts of history, but I haven't
thought of them just now.
Parapsychology grew out of a serious, scientific interest in Splitualism
in the late 1800s in Great Britain and the United States. The (British)
Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1881, and the American
Society for Psychical Research, founded in 1885, were created by leading
scientists of the day to study mediums who claimed they could contact
the dead or produce other psychic effects. Much of the early evidence
was descriptive and anecdotal, including reports of precognitive dreams,
descriptions of table levitations, accounts of ghost sightings, and so
on. Some members of the Societies for Psychical Research attempted to
test the phenomena claimed by physical mediums using special instruments
they designed. Some of the case studies and books published by members
of these societies, most notably the work by Frederick Myers in the UK,
and William James in the USA, are enduring classics.
In 1917, J. Edgar Coover, a psychologist at Stanford University, was one
of the first investigators to apply experimental techniques to study psi
abilities in the laboratory. But it was not until 1927 that a new era
for psi research was established by biologist J. B. Rhine. Rhine and
his colleagues developed original experimental techniques and helped
popularize the terms "ESP" and "parapsychology." Rhine's lab at Duke
University (Durham, North Carolina), initially part of the Psychology
Department, developed a world-wide reputation for pioneering and
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
I
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
scientifically sound research. In 1935, Rhine created the first
academically-based, independent parapsychological laboratory at Duke
University. His best-known research involved ESP testing using special
cards and PK tests using dice. In 1965, Rhine retired from Duke and
_ moved his lab off-campus. Today, Rhine's legacy, the Institute for
Parapsychology, is still active in psi research and is located across
the street from the Duke University campus.
HELP: What am I missing here, other major programs from the 30's to the
70's? What about Ian Stevenson's program? What is the history of that?
Emily?
In the 1970's, a major psi research effort began at the California
think-tank, SRI International, in Menlo Park, California, USA (formerl
called Stanford Research Institute). The program was establish
Harold Puthoff, later Russell Targ joined the program, and then win
May. The SRI program concentrated on remote viewing research (and
coined the term). May took over the program in 1985 when Puthoff left
for another position. When May left SRI International in 1989, he
reestablished a similar psi research program withiff-the.imentft.tiefnal?
;II V '11 ? v? v That
program is still engaged in research and is best known for using
sophisticated technologies, like magnetoencephalographs (MEG), to study
brain functioning while individuals perform psi tasks., and-theoretical
C-o-A-e"cj y
co-P 4-4JLOd 444v:fix 0-0,1 oyyYt.0-(-4 4-45 p..0.444.1"-e ue
cP2 e 1`) vs tc?-t-It sT"/1-e45,- -toke -
At about the same time that the SRI program began, another psi research
program was established by Montague Ullman and Stanley Krippner at the
Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, USA. This team, which later
included Charles Honorton, is best known for their work in dream
telepathy. Just as this program was winding down in 1979, Charles
Honorton opened a new lab, called the Psychophysical Research
Laboratories, in Princeton, New Jersey, USA. Honorton's lab, which
continued operating until 1989, was best known for research on telepathy
in the ganzfeld, micro-PK tests, and meta-analytic work.
rko
Also in 1979, another psi research program began in Princeton, New
Jersey, within the School of Engineering at Princeton University.
This was founded by Robert Jahn, then the Dean of the School of
Engineering. The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab is
still conducting research, and is best known for its massive databases
on micro-PK tests, PK tests involving other physical systems, its
"precognitive remote perception" experiments, and its theoretical work
attempting to link metaphors of quantum mechanics to psi functioning.
Marilyn: please write a paragraph on the Mind Science Foundation, along
with dates of operation. Could you write a similar paragraph about SURF
too please?
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Approved For Release 2003/09/16 : CIA-RDP96-00791R000200190055-7
Dick: please write about the University of Utrecht and now University of
Amsterdam
Deborah: please write about Edinburgh University, unless I should steal
this text from the Koestler Chair EU Web site?
I'll add something about my (Dean's) program at UNLV on the last wrap.
ARE THERE ANY PSI RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS ACCESSIBLE OVER THE NET?
Yes. I will eventually link to