Parapsychology special - are psychic phenomena fact or fantasy?

 Millions of rational people report bizarre events: that they knew
 someone was staring at them, or who was calling before they picked
 up the phone or even that they knew bad news before being told.

 To parapsychologists this is evidence of some sixth sense. To many
 scientists it is all down to coincidence or subtle signalling
 between people. The two sides cannot agree, but neither can
 they explain away the other’s case.

 For 20 years, parapsychologists and scientists have been working
 together to resolve the debate. Can they ever agree? 

 THE POWER OF BELIEF
 It may sound like just another investigation into the paranormal,
 but this study represents something of a watershed.

 It is a sceptic-versus-believer experiment designed to nail down
 one of parapsychology’s longest-standing controversies, the
 "experimenter effect".

 This is the curious phenomenon whereby the outcome of an experiment
 hinges upon the beliefs of the person running it.

 Believers tend to get positive results. Sceptics don’t. But arguably
 it’s not so much the outcome that matters, as the fact that the
 study is taking place at all.

 The experiment effect is the skeleton in parapsychology’s cupboard
 ... and is now an object of intense research

 OPPOSITES DETRACT
 Whether they realise it or not, scientists’ thinking is influenced by
 subjectivity. Experimental results alone are not enough if scientists
 think the effect being tested is plausible.

 Nowhere is this more apparent than in attitudes towards research into
 extrasensory perception. By the standards of conventional science,
 the weight of evidence is now very impressive, but many scientists
 refuse to accept ESP’s existence. Instead, they insist that extraordinary
 claims demand extraordinary evidence.

 But who decides when an "extraordinary" level of evidence has been
 reached? More than any other scientific discipline, parapsychology
 pushes the scientific process to its limits, and reveals its flaws.

 New Scientist
 13 March 2004 - issue number 2438

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 `Perceptions' note:

 Mainstream science also suffers from "experimenter effect" -
 but they don't talk about it (unless they get caught).

 To find out why skeptics can't see some outcomes, maybe check

 www.perceptions.couk.com/magic2.html#2

 and

 www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/2004/jul/m03-015.shtml

 and

 www.virtuallystrange.net/ufo/updates/2007/sep/m21-002.shtml

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              FURTHER REFERENCES

 GO - "search perceptions" - in SEARCH-ENGINE


file-ID www.perceptions.couk.com/uef/espsy.txt