Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
Sponsored by Vangard Sciences
PO BOX 1031
Mesquite, TX 75150

There are ABSOLUTELY NO RESTRICTIONS
on duplicating, publishing or distributing the
files on KeelyNet except where noted!

February 15, 1994

PSI.ASC
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This file shared with KeelyNet courtesy of Bert Pool.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Scientists peer into the Mind's Psi
Science News, Volume 145, January 29, 1994

New evidence supporting the existance of what most folks refer to
as telepathy - and what parapsychologists call "anomalous processes
of information or energy transfer" - boasts a rare distinction: It
passed muster among peer reviewers and gained publication in a
major, mainstream psychology journal.

Suspicion of research into peculiar and unexplained forms of
communication, known as psi effects, runs deep among psychologists.
For a century, reports of psi and other psychic phenomena have often
dissipated in a mist of poor experiment design, wishful thinking
about chance statistical results, and outright cheating.

"I used to be a skeptic," says Daryl J. Bem, a psychologist at
Cornell University and coauthor of the new report with the late
Charles Honorton of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. "But
we met strict research guidelines and the results are significantly
significant. We hope the findings prompt others to try replicating
this effect."

Bem and Honorton describe studies of the ganzfeld ("whole field")
procedure in the January PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN. Honorton died in
November 1992, before the article was accepted for publication.

The ganzfeld procedure tests for telepathic communication between
a "sender" and a "receiver". Honorton directed 11 studies between
1983 and 1989 that avoided the methodological problems of previous
ganzfeld experiments. Bem - also a magician who knows how people
can simulate psi effects - visited Honorton's laboratory in 1983 as
one of several outside consultants who evaluated the project.
Shortly thereafter, the two scientists joined forces.

Honorton first showed volunteers around his lab to make them feel
comfortable. A receiver and sender then sat in separate,
acoustically sealed rooms. Each receiver had Ping-Pong ball halves
taped over his or her eyes and heard a steady humming noise through
headphones. A red flood light illuminated the chamber. After
performing relaxation exercises, the receiver described all thoughts
and images aloud for 30 minutes.

Page 1





At the same time, the sender concentrated on a randomly selected
target - one of 80 still pictures (including art prints and
advertisements) or one of 80 short video clips (such as a scene of a
tidal wave).

Receivers later sat at a computer displaying a random sequence of
the target image and three decoys. They rated the degree to which
each of these images corresponded to those experienced during the
ganzfeld period.

The researchers labeled as a "hit" any session in which a receiver
rated the target as most like the ganzfeld image.

Bem and Honorton statistically combined ganzfeld data from 11
studies involving a total of 100 men and 140 women. Overall,
receivers obtained a hit about every third session. Compared with
an expected random hit rate of one in four, this represents a
modest, statistically significant effect, Bem and Honorton argue.

One study of 29 music, drama, and dance students yielded a hit rate
of one in two, one of the highest reported for a ganzfeld session.
Creative or artistic abilities may somehow boost ganzfeld
performance, the researchers contend.

Belief in psi and an extroverted personality also showed links to
increased hit rates by receivers.

The ganzfeld procedure may dampen bodily and external sensations and
allow receivers to detect normally weak psi mediated information,
Bem suggests.

No scientific consensus exists to explain how psi-ganzfeld effects
could occur, although some parapsychologists propose a mechanism
based on quantum theory (SN: 1/11/86, p.28), Bem notes.

"Bem and Honorton's article is very sophisticated statistically and
you can;t dismiss their findings," holds Robert Rosenthal of Harvard
University. "They haven't shown that we go around reading each
other's minds, but there's a phenomenon here that requires
explanation."

Rosenthal and three other psychologists served as referees for the
ganzfeld paper. Each referee recommended it for publication, but
two cite lingering concerns about the data.

Although Bem and Honorton conducted "experiments of high quality,"
the results differ in curious and unexplained ways from previous
ganzfeld findings, writes Ray Hyman of the University of Oregon in
Eugene, in an accompaning comment.

For instance, only video clips produced significant psi effects in
the new studies, but pictures yielded good performance in Honorton's
ganzfeld experiments prior to 1983, Hyman says. In another
departure from earlier projects, psi effects did not increase when
receivers and senders were friends, he adds.

And for some reason, hit rates increased mainly for targets that
appeared in more than one session, Hyman argues.


Page 2





Moreover, of the 11 ganzfeld studies, smaller samples displayed
larger hit rates than larger samples, notes Lee D. Ross of Stanford
University. "if the effect is real, this is the opposite of what
you'd expect," he contends.

Subtle factors influencing the results may still be eluding the
researchers, Ross adds. Only a single, large-scale replication can
shed light on Bem and Honorton's results, according to Ross.

Four ganzfeld studies, including one directed by Bem, are underway.
These samples should be pooled into one large study, Hyman assets.
- B. Bower

--------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.

Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet

--------------------------------------------------------------------
If we can be of service, you may contact
Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Richy,
telnet://ricksbbs.synchro.net:23
http://ricksbbs.synchro.net:8080
IRC www.irccloud.com/irc/ricksbbs/channel/ricksbbs
---
þ Synchronet þ Rick's BBS telnet://ricksbbs.synchro.net:23