Are ESP Test Results Stochastic Artifacts? Brugger & Taylor's Claims Under Scrutiny

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In this Subject: Psychology ,&nbsp; Political Science
By this author: Ertel, Suitbert

Author: Ertel, Suitbert

Source: Journal of Consciousness Studies, Volume 12, Number 3, 2005 , pp. 61-80(20)

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Abstract:

Peter Brugger & Kirsten Taylor (B&T) regard positive extrasensory perception (ESP) test results as methodical artifacts. In their view, sequences of guessing, e.g. of symbol cards, being non-random, overlap with finite sequences of non-random targets, and surpluses of hits from chance are deemed to be due to correlated non- randomness. The present author's ESP test data obtained from his 'ball drawing test' applied with N = 231 psychology majors were used for testing five hypotheses derived from B&T's claims. B&T would expect increased hit rates by intra-systemic pattern correlation of both guesses with guesses and targets with targets which are most favourable conditions for B&T's matching mechanism. But hit rates do not increase under such conditions, they decrease significantly. Moreover, Brugger's 1992 result does not replicate. B&T's 'deadly blow' directed at parapsychology turns out to be a boomerang. The authors wanted to get a 'phantom slain'. They got one slain - their own.

Document Type: Research article

Publication date: 2005-01-01