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Does psi exist? Replicable evidence for an anomalous process of information transfer.
Abstract
Most academic psychologists do not yet accept the existence of psi, anomalous processes of information or energy transfer (such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception) that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms. We believe that the replication rates and effect sizes achieved by one particular experimental method, the ganzfeld procedure, are now sufficient to warrant bringing this body of data to the attention of the wider psychological community. Competing meta-analyses of the ganzfeld database are reviewed, 1 by R. Hyman (1985), a skeptical critic of psi research, and the other by C. Honorton (1985), a parapsychologist and major contributor to the ganzfeld database. Next the results of 11 new ganzfeld studies that comply with guidelines jointly authored by R. Hyman and C. Honorton (1986) are summarized. Finally, issues of replication and theoretical explanation are discussed. The term psi denotes anomalous processes of information or energy transfer, processes such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms. The term is purely descriptive: It neither implies that such anomalous phenomena are paranormal nor connotes anything about their underlying mechanisms. Does psi exist? Most academic psychologists don't think so. A survey of more than 1,100 college professors in the United States found that 55% of natural scientists, 66% of social scientists (excluding psychologists), and 77% of academics in the arts, humanities, and education believed that ESP is either an established fact or a likely possibility. The comparable figure for psy
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“Bem and Honorton (1994) found, as predicted, that the hit rate was significantly higher for dynamic than static targets (37% and 27% respectively, where MCE = 25%).”
From On the correspondence between dream content and target material under laboratory conditions: A meta-analysis of dream-ESP studies, 1966-2016 (2017) · cites this paper as Bem and Honorton (1994)
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bem, D. J., & Honorton, C.
- Affiliations
- Cornell University (US)
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 1994-01
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 4-18
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W2104146277
- Cited by
- 330
- References
- 294
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 20.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
- Social Sciences › Psychology › General Psychology › Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology
- Keywords
- extrasensory perception, telepathy, replication, effect size, parapsychology, meta-analysis
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