Parapsychology
Putting ESP to Experimental Test
Why do they Study?
• Unsatisfied hunger for
mystery or wonderment
• Experiencing something
magical
– Founding US
Parapsychologist were
searching for a scientific
explanation for the meaning of
Russia after the fall of the USSR many life & life after death
people became aware of the unexplained
– Mostly because they lost their
& ESP. Scientist believed they were
religious faith
Compensating for the psychological
discomfort of the time
Keep an Open Mind
• Some things we assume to
be true
– Life after death
– The existence of god
– The reality of another’s love
• Retain a humble sense of
wonder regarding life’s untestable mysteries
Skepticism
• Parapsychologist are
those people who choose
to study paranormal
phenomena
• They put this phenomena
to the experimental test is
hope of proving that ESP
exists
• The biggest reason why
people questions it is
validity.
If people have this ability why
Don’t more of them win the Lottery!
Experiments with ESP
• Despite many claims of proven
experiments a reproducible ESP
phenomenon has never been
discovered
– No person has ever come forward
who can convincingly
demonstrate psychic ability
– “the best available evidence does
not support the contention that
these phenomena exist”
• National Research Council
investigation of ESP
CIA did 10 yrs. & 10 mill.
Spent on military studies
of psychic spies their
program was scrapped.
Scientific Attitude on ESP
• Isolation of the sender the
• Science answers to these receiver in separate shielded
claims is to test them to
see if they are true & is it chambers
– 11 studies
repeatable
• 25% of the receivers accurately
• Parapsychologist continue
beat chance
to attempt to prove just
• 32% was the margin that was
that
significantly needed for proof
• The question then becomes has
• Daryl Bem & Charles
a reliable way to test ESP been
Honorton came up with
discovered
the ganzfeld procedure
Skepticism 2
• The procedure was tested
again & others found that “it
does not at present offer a
replicable method for
producing ESP in a laboratory.
• Remember that scientific
attitude involves skeptical but
open minded scrutiny of
competing ideas
– Science is open to nature’s
occasional surprises
Studies & Debate Cont.