Parapsychology - Revision history

GaryJJSpate: /* Notable organisations */

2026-08-05T00:10:33Z

Notable organisations

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:10, 5 August 2026
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	* [[Rhine Research Center]] (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)		* [[Rhine Research Center]] (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)
	* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] laboratory (1979–2007)		* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] laboratory (1979–2007)
			* [[Koestler Parapsychology Unit]]

	== See also ==		== See also ==

GaryJJSpate: /* See also */

2026-08-05T00:10:21Z

GaryJJSpate: /* Notable organisations */

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Notable organisations

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:09, 5 August 2026
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	== Notable organisations ==		== Notable organisations ==
	* Society for Psychical Research (founded 1882, London)		* [[Society for Psychical Research]] (founded 1882, London)
	* Parapsychological Association (founded 1957)		* [[Parapsychological Association]] (founded 1957)
	* Rhine Research Center (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)		* [[Rhine Research Center]] (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)
	* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] laboratory (1979–2007)		* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] laboratory (1979–2007)

GaryJJSpate at 00:09, 5 August 2026

2026-08-05T00:09:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:09, 5 August 2026
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	{{~~PhenomenonInfobox~~		{{InfoboxPhenomenon
	\|name=Parapsychology		\|name=Parapsychology
	\|type=Academic discipline		\|type=Academic discipline
	\|also_known_as=Psychical research		\|also_known_as=Psychical research
	\|notable_case=Society for Psychical Research; Rhine Research Center		\|notable_case=Society for Psychical Research; Rhine Research Center; Ganzfeld experiments; PEAR laboratory
	\|status=Fringe science — not recognised by mainstream academia		\|status=Fringe science — not recognised by mainstream academia
	}}		}}
			{{tick}}
	'''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including [[~~telepathy~~]], [[~~clairvoyance~~]], [[~~precognition~~]], [[~~psychokinesis~~]], and [[~~mediumship~~]] ~~— using~~ the ~~methods of~~ experimental ~~science~~. It sits outside mainstream academic psychology, but has maintained a continuous tradition of formal, peer-reviewed research since the late 19th century.		'''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including [[Telepathy]], [[Extrasensory Perception]], [[Precognition]], and [[Psychokinesis]] — using the methods of experimental science.<ref name="brewminate">{{cite web \|title=PSI: A History of Parapsychology since Robert Hare in 1853 \|url=https://brewminate.com/psi-a-history-of-parapsychology-since-robert-hare-in-1853/ \|publisher=Brewminate}}</ref> The term itself was coined in 1889 by German philosopher Max Dessoir as ''parapsychologie'', and was adopted in English by [[J. B. Rhine]] in the 1930s to replace the older term "psychical research," signalling a deliberate shift toward experimental laboratory methodology.<ref name="brewminate"/> It sits outside mainstream academic psychology, but has maintained a continuous tradition of formal, peer-reviewed research since the late 19th century.

	== History ==		== History ==
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	=== The Rhine era ===		=== The Rhine era ===
	The centre of activity shifted to the [[United States of America\|United States]] in the 1930s with botanist [[J. B. Rhine]]'s work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''[[Extra-Sensory Perception (book)\|Extra-Sensory Perception]]'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''[[Journal of Parapsychology]]'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.		The centre of activity shifted to the [[United States of America\|United States]] in the 1930s with botanist [[J. B. Rhine]]'s work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''[[Extra-Sensory Perception (book)\|Extra-Sensory Perception]]'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''[[Journal of Parapsychology]]'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's [[Rhine Research Center]].

			=== The ganzfeld debate ===
			From the mid-1970s, parapsychologists led by [[Charles Honorton]] developed the [[Ganzfeld Experiment\|ganzfeld technique]] — testing telepathy under mild sensory deprivation — as an attempt at a more rigorously controlled experimental paradigm.<ref name="psi-metaanalysis">{{cite web \|title=Meta-Analysis in Parapsychology \|url=https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/meta-analysis-parapsychology/ \|publisher=Psi Encyclopedia (Society for Psychical Research)}}</ref> In 1985, psychologist Ray Hyman, a prominent skeptic, published a meta-analysis of 42 ganzfeld studies from 1974–1982 identifying twelve methodological flaws, including inadequate randomisation and non-independent subsets of data inflating the apparent hit rate; Honorton published a competing meta-analysis of the same dataset reaching more favourable conclusions.<ref name="psi-metaanalysis"/> Rather than continue the dispute, Hyman and Honorton jointly published a 1986 "Joint Communiqué" recommending stricter methodological standards for future ganzfeld research, leading to the development of the automated "autoganzfeld" procedure.<ref name="psi-metaanalysis"/> Hyman later disputed claims that autoganzfeld results published by Bem and Honorton in 1994 represented a genuine replication, identifying statistical patterns he considered suggestive of an artefact — to which Bem responded that if the pattern proved to be a real property of psi, parapsychologists should call it "the Hyman effect."<ref name="sciencedirect">{{cite web \|title=Parapsychology \|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/parapsychology \|publisher=ScienceDirect}}</ref> The debate over whether the ganzfeld effect has been genuinely and independently replicated has continued into the 2010s, with parapsychologist Lance Storm and colleagues publishing a 2010 meta-analysis defending the effect's consistency, and Hyman publishing a rebuttal the same year arguing that reliance on meta-analysis alone to establish an anomaly "distorts what scientists mean by confirmatory evidence."<ref name="brewminate"/>

			=== The PEAR laboratory ===
			From 1979 to 2007, the [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] (PEAR) laboratory, founded by then-Dean of Engineering Robert G. Jahn, conducted research into whether human intention could influence the output of electronic random event generators, alongside remote-viewing experiments.<ref name="npr-pear">{{cite web \|title=ESP Research Lab Closes After 28 Years \|publisher=NPR \|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7371765}}</ref> PEAR reported that participants could shift the output of its devices by a very small margin — roughly two or three results out of every 100,000 trials — which Jahn argued was statistically significant enough to be meaningful, though the finding was rejected by most of the mainstream scientific community and the lab was widely regarded within Princeton's administration as an institutional embarrassment.<ref name="dailyfreepress">{{cite web \|title='Pseudoscience' lab closes at Princeton \|publisher=Daily Free Press \|url=https://dailyfreepress.com/02/23/00/38161/pseudoscience-lab-closes-at-princeton/}}</ref> Skeptic James Alcock criticised PEAR's experiments for poor controls and documentation and the unruled-out possibility of data selection, though he provided no direct documentation for these specific suspicions.<ref name="psi-pear">{{cite web \|title=Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory \|url=https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/princeton-engineering-anomalies-research-pear/ \|publisher=Psi Encyclopedia (Society for Psychical Research)}}</ref> The lab closed in February 2007; Jahn and laboratory manager Brenda Dunne stated in a joint press release that they had "accomplished what we originally set out to do 28 years ago" rather than closing due to any specific controversy.<ref name="dailyfreepress"/>

	== Methods ==		== Methods ==
	Parapsychological research has generally followed mainstream experimental psychology's own methods and standards, rather than developing entirely separate ones — Rhine's card-guessing protocols and later presentiment studies measuring physiological arousal before a random stimulus are ~~both~~ close adaptations of standard laboratory technique. [[Precognition]] gives a fuller account of specific experimental traditions, including Zener card testing and Daryl Bem's contested 2011 "Feeling the Future" studies.		Parapsychological research has generally followed mainstream experimental psychology's own methods and standards, rather than developing entirely separate ones — Rhine's card-guessing protocols, PEAR's random-event-generator trials, and later presentiment studies measuring physiological arousal before a random stimulus are all close adaptations of standard laboratory technique. [[Precognition]] gives a fuller account of specific experimental traditions in that sub-area, including Zener card testing and Daryl Bem's contested 2011 "Feeling the Future" studies. Related spontaneous, non-experimental phenomena occasionally studied within the same institutions include [[Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis]] (poltergeist-type activity).

	== Reception and criticism ==		== Reception and criticism ==
	Despite adopting mainstream scientific methods, parapsychology has not achieved broad acceptance within academic psychology. Recurring criticisms include the field's history of failed independent replication, the file-drawer effect (unsuccessful studies being less likely to be published or noticed than successful ones), and statistical or procedural flaws identified in specific high-profile studies. Rhine's own laboratory acknowledged several cases of researcher unreliability in its published record, and more recent controversies — such as the reception of Daryl Bem's 2011 work — have made parapsychology a recurring case study in broader discussions about research standards and the replication crisis across psychology as a whole.		Despite adopting mainstream scientific methods, parapsychology has not achieved broad acceptance within academic psychology. Recurring criticisms include the field's history of failed independent replication, the file-drawer effect (unsuccessful studies being less likely to be published or noticed than successful ones), and statistical or procedural flaws identified in specific high-profile studies, exemplified by the decades-long ganzfeld dispute between Hyman and successive generations of parapsychologists. Rhine's own laboratory acknowledged several cases of researcher unreliability in its published record — including the 1974 Walter J. Levy fraud case documented at the Rhine Research Center — and more recent controversies, such as the reception of Daryl Bem's 2011 work, have made parapsychology a recurring case study in broader discussions about research standards and the replication crisis across psychology as a whole.

			{{VaultDisciplineBrief
			\|parent_field=Psychology
			\|established=1882 (Society for Psychical Research, as "psychical research"); renamed "parapsychology" following Max Dessoir's 1889 coinage and J. B. Rhine's 1930s adoption of the term
			\|key_figures=Frederic Myers; Henry Sidgwick; William James; J. B. Rhine; Charles Honorton; Robert G. Jahn; Ray Hyman (leading skeptical critic)
			\|key_works=Rhine, ''Extra-Sensory Perception'' (1934); Hyman, "The Ganzfeld Psi Experiment: A Critical Appraisal" (1985); Bem & Honorton, "Does Psi Exist?" (1994)
			\|methodology=Applies conventional experimental psychology methodology — controlled trials, statistical analysis, and increasingly meta-analysis — to testing claimed psychic ability, rather than developing methods unique to the field
			\|related_fields=Distinct from [[Anomalistic Psychology]], which applies conventional psychological explanations to why people report paranormal experiences without testing whether the phenomena themselves are real
			\|academic_status=Fringe science; not recognised by mainstream academic psychology, though maintained through dedicated institutions such as the Rhine Research Center and, until 2024, the Koestler Parapsychology Unit
			\|significance=Parapsychology is the closest thing to a formal scientific research tradition within the subject matter this archive otherwise documents anecdotally, making its internal disputes — particularly the decades-long ganzfeld meta-analysis debate — a useful case study in how difficult it is to settle a genuinely contested small-effect-size claim through statistics alone, regardless of which side of the debate is correct.
			}}

	== Notable organisations ==		== Notable organisations ==
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	* Parapsychological Association (founded 1957)		* Parapsychological Association (founded 1957)
	* Rhine Research Center (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)		* Rhine Research Center (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)
			* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]] laboratory (1979–2007)

	== See also ==		== See also ==
	* [[~~Psychic Ability~~]]		* [[Extrasensory Perception]]
	* [[Precognition]]		* [[Precognition]]
			* [[Anomalistic Psychology]]
			* [[J. B. Rhine]]
			* [[Charles Honorton]]
			* [[Ganzfeld Experiment]]
			* [[Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis]]
			* [[Rhine Research Center]]
			* [[Koestler Parapsychology Unit]]
			* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]]
	* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], a contemporary researcher who has worked in the field		* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], a contemporary researcher who has worked in the field

			== References ==
			{{Reflist}}

			== External links ==
			* [https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/meta-analysis-parapsychology/ Psi Encyclopedia — Meta-Analysis in Parapsychology]
			* [https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/princeton-engineering-anomalies-research-pear/ Psi Encyclopedia — Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) Laboratory]
			* [https://www.spr.ac.uk/ Society for Psychical Research — official site]
			* [https://www.rhineonline.org/ Rhine Research Center — official site]
			* [https://parapsych.org/ Parapsychological Association — official site]

			[[Category:Parapsychology]]

GaryJJSpate at 14:05, 29 July 2026

2026-07-29T14:05:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:05, 29 July 2026
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	=== The Rhine era ===		=== The Rhine era ===
	The centre of activity shifted to the [[United States of America\|United States]] in the 1930s with botanist [[J. B. Rhine]]'s work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''[[Extra-Sensory Perception (~~Scholarly work~~)\|Extra-Sensory Perception]]'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''[[Journal of Parapsychology]]'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.		The centre of activity shifted to the [[United States of America\|United States]] in the 1930s with botanist [[J. B. Rhine]]'s work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''[[Extra-Sensory Perception (book)\|Extra-Sensory Perception]]'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''[[Journal of Parapsychology]]'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.

	== Methods ==		== Methods ==

GaryJJSpate at 01:45, 22 July 2026

2026-07-22T01:45:56Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:45, 22 July 2026
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	=== Early psychical research ===		=== Early psychical research ===
	Formal, organised study of these claims began in 1882 with the founding of the [[Society for Psychical Research]] (SPR) in London, the first learned society of its kind. Its founders included classicist [[Frederic Myers,]] physicist [[Oliver Lodge]], philosopher and economist [[Henry Sidgwick]], and psychologist and philosopher [[William James]], and its stated purpose was to investigate mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualist phenomena "in a purely scientific spirit" — including rigorous efforts to expose fraudulent mediums.		Formal, organised study of these claims began in 1882 with the founding of the [[Society for Psychical Research]] (SPR) in London, the first learned society of its kind. Its founders included classicist [[Frederic Myers]], physicist [[Oliver Lodge]], philosopher and economist [[Henry Sidgwick]], and psychologist and philosopher [[William James]], and its stated purpose was to investigate mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualist phenomena "in a purely scientific spirit" — including rigorous efforts to expose fraudulent mediums.

	=== The Rhine era ===		=== The Rhine era ===

GaryJJSpate: /* Early psychical research */

2026-07-22T00:53:36Z

Early psychical research

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:53, 22 July 2026
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	}}		}}

	'''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and mediumship — using the methods of experimental science. It sits outside mainstream academic psychology, but has maintained a continuous tradition of formal, peer-reviewed research since the late 19th century.		'''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including [[telepathy]], [[clairvoyance]], [[precognition]], [[psychokinesis]], and [[mediumship]] — using the methods of experimental science. It sits outside mainstream academic psychology, but has maintained a continuous tradition of formal, peer-reviewed research since the late 19th century.

	== History ==		== History ==

	=== Early psychical research ===		=== Early psychical research ===
	Formal, organised study of these claims began in 1882 with the founding of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in London, the first learned society of its kind. Its founders included classicist Frederic Myers, physicist Oliver Lodge, philosopher and economist Henry Sidgwick, and psychologist and philosopher William James, and its stated purpose was to investigate mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualist phenomena "in a purely scientific spirit" — including rigorous efforts to expose fraudulent mediums.		Formal, organised study of these claims began in 1882 with the founding of the [[Society for Psychical Research]] (SPR) in London, the first learned society of its kind. Its founders included classicist [[Frederic Myers,]] physicist [[Oliver Lodge]], philosopher and economist [[Henry Sidgwick]], and psychologist and philosopher [[William James]], and its stated purpose was to investigate mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualist phenomena "in a purely scientific spirit" — including rigorous efforts to expose fraudulent mediums.

	=== The Rhine era ===		=== The Rhine era ===
	The centre of activity shifted to the United States in the 1930s with botanist J. B. Rhine's work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''Extra-Sensory Perception'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''Journal of Parapsychology'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.		The centre of activity shifted to the [[United States of America\|United States]] in the 1930s with botanist [[J. B. Rhine]]'s work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''[[Extra-Sensory Perception (Scholarly work)\|Extra-Sensory Perception]]'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''[[Journal of Parapsychology]]'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.

	== Methods ==		== Methods ==

GaryJJSpate: Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Parapsychology |type=Academic discipline |also_known_as=Psychical research |notable_case=Society for Psychical Research; Rhine Research Center |status=Fringe science — not recognised by mainstream academia }} '''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and mediumship — using the methods of experimental science. It sits outside mainstream academic psycho..."

2026-07-22T00:50:24Z

Created page with "{{PhenomenonInfobox |name=Parapsychology |type=Academic discipline |also_known_as=Psychical research |notable_case=Society for Psychical Research; Rhine Research Center |status=Fringe science — not recognised by mainstream academia }} '''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and mediumship — using the methods of experimental science. It sits outside mainstream academic psycho..."

New page

{{PhenomenonInfobox
|name=Parapsychology
|type=Academic discipline
|also_known_as=Psychical research
|notable_case=Society for Psychical Research; Rhine Research Center
|status=Fringe science — not recognised by mainstream academia
}}

'''Parapsychology''' is the study of purported psychic phenomena — including telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychokinesis, and mediumship — using the methods of experimental science. It sits outside mainstream academic psychology, but has maintained a continuous tradition of formal, peer-reviewed research since the late 19th century.

== History ==

=== Early psychical research ===
Formal, organised study of these claims began in 1882 with the founding of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in London, the first learned society of its kind. Its founders included classicist Frederic Myers, physicist Oliver Lodge, philosopher and economist Henry Sidgwick, and psychologist and philosopher William James, and its stated purpose was to investigate mesmeric, psychical, and spiritualist phenomena "in a purely scientific spirit" — including rigorous efforts to expose fraudulent mediums.

=== The Rhine era ===
The centre of activity shifted to the United States in the 1930s with botanist J. B. Rhine's work at Duke University. Rhine founded a dedicated Parapsychology Laboratory there in the early 1930s, and in 1934 published ''Extra-Sensory Perception'', a monograph summarising six years of card-guessing experiments using Zener cards that became a landmark, and highly controversial, moment in the field's history. Rhine went on to found the ''Journal of Parapsychology'' in 1937 and the Parapsychological Association — still the field's main professional body — in 1957. His laboratory later became the independent Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man, a precursor to today's Rhine Research Center.

== Methods ==
Parapsychological research has generally followed mainstream experimental psychology's own methods and standards, rather than developing entirely separate ones — Rhine's card-guessing protocols and later presentiment studies measuring physiological arousal before a random stimulus are both close adaptations of standard laboratory technique. [[Precognition]] gives a fuller account of specific experimental traditions, including Zener card testing and Daryl Bem's contested 2011 "Feeling the Future" studies.

== Reception and criticism ==
Despite adopting mainstream scientific methods, parapsychology has not achieved broad acceptance within academic psychology. Recurring criticisms include the field's history of failed independent replication, the file-drawer effect (unsuccessful studies being less likely to be published or noticed than successful ones), and statistical or procedural flaws identified in specific high-profile studies. Rhine's own laboratory acknowledged several cases of researcher unreliability in its published record, and more recent controversies — such as the reception of Daryl Bem's 2011 work — have made parapsychology a recurring case study in broader discussions about research standards and the replication crisis across psychology as a whole.

== Notable organisations ==
* Society for Psychical Research (founded 1882, London)
* Parapsychological Association (founded 1957)
* Rhine Research Center (successor to Rhine's original Duke laboratory)

== See also ==
* [[Psychic Ability]]
* [[Precognition]]
* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], a contemporary researcher who has worked in the field

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:10, 5 August 2026
Line 54:		Line 54:
	* [[Ganzfeld Experiment]]		* [[Ganzfeld Experiment]]
	* [[Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis]]		* [[Recurrent Spontaneous Psychokinesis]]
	* [[Rhine Research Center]]
	* [[Koestler Parapsychology Unit]]
	* [[Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research]]
	* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], a contemporary researcher who has worked in the field		* [[Ciarán O'Keeffe]], a contemporary researcher who has worked in the field