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Volume 17: Number 2: Article 6
Purported Anomalous Perception in a Highly Skilled Individual: Observations, Interpretations, Compassion
Gary E. Schwartz, Lonnie A. Nelson, Linda G. Russek, Human Energy
Systems Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Arizona
The purported ability of a seventeen-year-old female, investigated
for seven years in China, to perceive information without using visual
and kinesthetic cues, was studied. In one experiment, five letters from
A to Z and five numbers from 0 to 100 were randomly selected by computer,
written on small sheets of paper and individually folded and placed
in a sealed envelope. The folded stimuli were removed one by one and
placed into a cloth bag that was opaque to light; the bag was tied below
the participant's right elbow. The participant was accurate for all
ten trials. In a second experiment, three video cameras carefully monitored
the participant's hand movements; in addition, both ends of the folded
papers were sealed with clear tape. Careful analysis of the clear tape
and the videotapes revealed evidence of practiced deception. Data were
also collected from a 25-year-old graduate student and a 7-year-old
child not employing a cloth bag. Their data suggest that deception is
not necessarily involved in all cases of purported anomalous perception.
Keywords: anomalous perception, parapsychology, intuition, integrity,
magic
FULL TEXT:
Purported Anomalous Perception in a Highly Skilled Individual: Observations, Interpretations, Compassion
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