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2003,
Vol. 3(1), pp. 3-19
“Are
you there, Spenser?” Attempts at ‘PK by Committee’ in a Séance-like
Situation
LANCE
STORM & COLIN MITCHELL
ABSTRACT:
The term PK by committee refers to a group psi effect that was
hypothesised by D. Scott Rogo (1986) as being more consistent than a psi
effect produced by an individual psychic. The Philip group (Toronto,
Canada), formed by I. M. Owen with M. Sparrow (1976), was essentially a
‘committee’ of individuals attempting to elicit PK effects. The Philip
group inspired the formation of the Spenser group (Adelaide, South
Australia), which was comprised initially of a team of eight professional
and amateur paranormal investigators. The Spenser group attempted to
generate a fictional entity, the sea captain Spenser Blake (1770-1850),
with whom conversation was attempted. No visual manifestations of Spenser
were sought or produced. Spenser group sitters’ attempts at
table-tilting and table levitation met with failure. Doubt remains over
the cause of some rapping and scratching sounds. Attempts at influencing a
candle-flame psychokinetically produced a statistically significant
effect. The more salient anomalous effects produced across a series of 27
sittings are reported and attempts to explain them in rational terms are
presented.
2003,
Vol. 3(1), pp. 20-35
Technical
Paper No. 4
Temporal
Lobe Lability and Self-Reported Haunting Type Experiences: A Questionnaire
Study with an Undergraduate Sample
DEVIN
TERHUNE
ABSTRACT:
This study examined the hypothesis that self-reported haunting type
experiences are positively associated with the temporal lobe lability of
the experient. Sixty-two participants completed a brief personal history
questionnaire about brain trauma and drug usage, the Temporal Lobe
Dysfunction Scale, and the Haunting Type Experiences Index. As expected,
temporal lobe scores were positively correlated with haunting type
experience scores, r(62) = .45, p < .001. High temporal lobe scorers
also scored significantly higher on the Haunting Type Experiences Index
than low temporal lobe scorers, t(60) = 4.27, p < .001. Brain trauma
and drug usage showed no significant relationship to temporal lobe scores
or haunting type experience scores. Exploratory analyses found that
sub-samples, defined by gender and program of study (Fine Arts or
Psychology), scored comparably on the Temporal Lobe Dysfunction Scale and
the Haunting Type Experiences Index. The present results conceptually
replicate previous research linking temporal lobe symptomatology and
haunting type experiences, but further research is warranted given the
methodological confounds in the present study.
2003,
Vol. 3(1), pp. 36-42
The Demise of the Survival Hypothesis--or
the Errors of Harvey Irwin?
MONTAGUE KEEN
ABSTRACT: Harvey
Irwin’s article (Irwin, 2002) in which he argues not merely for the abandonment
of the survival hypothesis but for its specific exclusion from the area of
legitimate parapsychological studies is important, timely, stimulating and
challenging. It is also wrong. Dr. Irwin errs in two ways. One
arises from factual errors or misrepresentations when he discusses the strength
and nature of evidence which appears to support a survival hypothesis. The
second is his conclusion that survival research can never meet the conditions
required for acceptable scientific (i.e., pragmatic) work. After
commenting on the disturbing implications of Irwin’s thesis for scientific
progress in general and psychical research in particular, I examine these errors
in some detail below.
2003,
Vol. 3(1), pp. 43-58
Response to Lance Storm's Review of "PSI: What it is and
how it works"
KEITH CHANDLER
ABSTRACT: Lance Storm is to be commended on a very sound review of PSI. It is
not my intention to “cross swords” with him in this article because he has
not revealed enough of his own position to justify a debate and in any
case I think more is gained from collegial dialogues than adversarial
debates. My approach, therefore, will be to clarify and expand points
about which Storm has indicated the strongest reservations. To that end,
rather than track and reply to his comments point by point in the same
sequence he presents them, I have chosen to address them in the context of
the fundamental issue that cuts across them all, namely, the philosophy of
Mental Realism.
2003,
Vol. 3(1), pp. 59-64
A Reply to Chandler (2003)
LANCE STORM
ABSTRACT: It is
unusual for a scientific journal to accept an article by an author (in
this case, Keith Chandler) that is basically a response to a book review
(the book is titled PSI: What it is and how it works by Chandler,
2001). I was the author of that book review, which appears in a previous
issue of the Australian Journal of Parapsychology (Storm, 2002).
Perhaps, more unusual is my being given the opportunity to reply to
Chandler’s article. Nevertheless, in the interests of clearing up some
misconceptions that appear to have been made by both of us, I have taken
this opportunity to set the record straight. As much of Chandler’s theory
is driven by philosophical principles and speculation, I will add little
comment, as my review covered my sentiments on these matters. So I will be
brief, feeling as I do, that I have adequately expressed all I needed to
express, and therefore, feel that not a great deal more needs saying,
apart from some clarification.
2003,
Vol. 3(2), pp. 94-104
The
Concept of Coincidence
PETER.
S. DELIN
ABSTRACT:
This paper analyses the concept of coincidence as it is applied in
everyday life, and examines the processes whereby we come to feel that
some coincidences are “extraordinary”, or “remarkable.” It does so
by pointing out, examining and illustrating three different senses of the
word “coincidence.” The first, coincidence in sense A, is coincidence
as a description of a situation or set of events, prior to any question of
whether this outcome has arisen by chance, or through some as yet
unidentified causal agency. Thus, we may suggest it is a “coincidence”
that Kennedy’s secretary was called Lincoln, while Lincoln’s secretary
was called Kennedy. The second sense, coincidence in sense B, is the one
we invoke when we say such things as “it’s only a coincidence,” or
“it was purely coincidental.” What we are doing is to accept that a
coincidence in sense A has occurred, but to deny that any causal
explanation for its occurrence is either necessary or appropriate.
Coincidence in sense B, then, is coincidence in sense A arising by some
chance process. Finally, coincidence in sense C is the sense of
“coincidence” we are usually using when we say things like “It’s a
very remarkable coincidence,” or “What an extraordinary
coincidence!” Hovering in the background is the notion that it needs
explanation in some causal or quasi-causal way; in other words that it is
not a coincidence in sense B. We may even say something like “That
can’t be just a coincidence!” In this paper, these three senses of
coincidence are invoked in order to show that many of the events we think
of as remarkable coincidences in sense C may not be quite as remarkable as
we feel they are.
2003,
Vol. 3(2), pp. 105-122
Harvey
J. Irwin’s Introduction to parapsychology (3rd edition): A
Reinterpretation in Terms of the Theory of Psychopraxia
MICHAEL
A. THALBOURNE
ABSTRACT:
One of the best, perhaps the best, textbooks of parapsychology is
currently Harvey J. Irwin’s Introduction to Parapsychology (3rd
edition). In this book Irwin uses as key concepts extrasensory perception
(ESP) and psychokinesis (PK). The theory of psychopraxia (“the self
accomplishing goals”) does not make use of these terms, considering
instead the endosomatic functions (within the mind-body complex) and
exosomatic functions (outside the mind-body complex) of a unitary
principle called psychopraxia. In this article the author attempts to
redescribe parapsychology in terms of psychopraxia instead of ESP and PK,
using Irwin’s book as a vehicle for the reinterpretation.
2003,
Vol. 3(2), pp. 123-139
The
John Edward Phenomenon “I Want To Believe”
SUE-ELLEN
KJELDAL
ABSTRACT:
Much international interest has been generated by psychics such as John
Edward who purport to communicate with the deceased. In this article,
contemporary decision theory is used as a possible explanatory factor in
determining why individuals unquestioningly believe this notion, whilst
empirical support against the theory appears overwhelmingly negative at
this stage in research into this phenomenon.
2003,
Vol. 3(2), pp. 140-146
The
I Ching and the Lotto Game: Trying to Beat the Odds Using an Ancient
Chinese System of Divination
LANCE
STORM
ABSTRACT:
The I Ching (or Book of Changes) is an ancient Chinese form of divination.
A numbered hexagram (or six-line symbol) and its associated reading or
forecast, is generated using the modern ‘coin-throwing’ method (three
coins are thrown, six times). In the present study, the coin-throwing
method was adopted for the sole purpose of establishing a consistent means
of generating ‘lucky’ numbers to be used in a form of gambling known
as ‘Lotto’-a televised game in which eight ping-pong balls with
winning numbers printed on them are drawn every Saturday night from a pool
of 45 such balls. Participants in the present study took turns throwing
coins to generate their own hexagram numbers. A total of eight numbers
were entered for each Lotto game. Over a period of months, ten games were
played. Half the games played (5 games) independently produced significant
amounts of winning numbers (p < .05). Individual hit-rates for key
players ranged from approximately 17% up to 36% over the ten games. It was
concluded that such high success rates might bode well for the system, but
a ‘control’ condition would be necessary in a replication study to
confirm the viability of the procedure.
2003,
3(2), pp. 159-174
Technical
Paper No. 5
Personality
Factors and Psi-Ganzfeld Sessions: A Replication and Extension
ALEJANDRO
PARRA & JORGE VILLANUEVA
ABSTRACT:
This is a report of a study of the relationship between personality
factors and ESP scores obtained using the ganzfeld technique, which has
had a modest but consistent number of successes in various laboratories.
Eysenck’s (1967) linking of extraversion and arousal was deemed
potentially important to ESP performance. The relationship between ESP
performance and individual differences and several personality dimensions
have been studied, according to Honorton’s model which predicts the
personality characteristics of successful ganzfeld participants. One
hundred and thirty-eight participants attended one ganzfeld session
(telepathy-focused) at the Institute of Paranormal Psychology, Argentina.
The first author (AP) was the experimenter, who received each participant,
and the second author (JV) was sender for each participant. Two
personality inventories (the Eysenck Personality Inventory and the Sixteen
Personality Factor Questionnaire) were administered before each ganzfeld
session. Overall results of this experiment offered some four
personality profiles that arise from a combination of N and E scores.
Though this study did not show significant results relating direct hits to
E or N scores or the 16PF factors, they were found for sanguine females
and choleric male subjects. Cholerics obtained more hits than did
melancholics.
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