Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792ROO0400060001-7 Parapsychology Abstracts International Ing -wo of -Lnd ar- et- 7~ed lot -ian -he wo a ets xd lis- -ly ,ed )US nts !x_ ml ,ty 16 nd ~or lie ;6). ics iat ten Ifor -in- e nd est SP ,re -the Ive ax- oc- ac- bal in an zal 487 ap- hy. _W. rn 'or ,ng -dn als Rte on fi- 02687. Stevenson, Ian. Guest editorial: Why investigate s spontaneous cases? Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Apr), 81(i), 101-109, 23 refs Psychical researchers are showing renewed interest in spontaneous cases, but few newcomers to this branch of our subject have had experience in the actual investigation of cases. What is worse, many do not seem to understand the importance of investigating cases instead of just accept- ing them as submitted by correspondents or turned up in surveys. Many cases in which someone makes a claim for a paranormal communication prove, on investigation, to provide no evidence supporting the claim. Moreover, unin- vestigated cases are likely to have important omissions in the information provided when they are submitted. These deficiencies may lead to erroneous conclusions. However, investigated cases that are voluntarily reported to a research center may also have biases and be unrepresenta- tive of the full range of experiences we need to study. We should conduct new surveys of spontaneous cases in which the cases turned up will be thoroughly investig'ated. - DA 02688. Palmer, John. Have we established psi? Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Apr), 8](2), 111-123. 26 refs To address the question, "Have we established psi?," one must distinguish between psi as a scientific anomaly and psi as a "paranormal" process transcending generally accepted limiting principles of nature. It is maintained that psi as anomaly has been established, because conven- tional science has yet to provide adequate conventional ex- planations for the critical mass of ostensibly paranormal experiences. However, psi as paranormal process has not been established, not because the research methods have failed to eliminate all conventional alternatives, but be- cause no particular paranormal theory has yet achieved adequate empirical verification. Verification of psi in the latter sense requires a shift from a negative research ap- proach, in which the top priority is elimination of conven- tional hypotheses, to a positive approach, in which the top priorities are to get the anomalies to occur and to uncover their correlates. Most psi experiments are, like spon- taneous cases, documented accounts of anomalies that provide a subject matter to be explained but explain noth- ing themselves. Nonetheless, experimental psi research can point to important accomplishments, which include demonstrating that the anomalies occur in laboratories, reducing the plausibility of conventional hypotheses, un- covering quasi-lawful correlates, and generating testable models. - DA 02689. Cook, Emily Williams. The survival question: Impasse or crux? Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Apr), 81(2), 125-139. 53 refs This paper examines the present status of research on the question of survival of human personality after death. Para psychologists have adopted several strategies for deal- ing with the current impasse between the two major hypotheses, but the approach that remains to be tried is to implement the many lines of investigation that have been suggested by previous research. It is concluded that only serious testing of the rival hypotheses with renewed research will determine whether survival research is at an impasse or at a crux that will eventually lead to new knowledge. - DA 02690. Roney-Dougal, Serena M. A comparison of psi and subliminal perception: Exploratory and follow-up Vol. 6, No. I June 1988 studies. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Apr), 8](2), 141-181. 9 figs; 45 refs; 9 tables The aim of these studies was to explore various aspects of response to subliminal and psi stimuli under Ganzfeld conditions. Physiological and cognitive aspects of the process were measured, together with several per sonality and cognitive tests. The participants were volun tecrs, some of whom previously had worked briefly with the experimenter. The stimuli were prerecorded, themati cally related words, presented via headphones either to the sender or to the participant according to the experimental condition. Galvanic skin res onse and the participant's p mentation were recorded throughout each session. Per- sonality and cognitive tests were administered prior to the session. In the exploratory study, the participants did not score significantly greater than chance on either the sub- liminal or the psi conditions. The participants' overall scoring was suggestively related to their attitude (p = .075) and to their cognitive style (p = .03). The participants' at- titudes correlated with their "openness-to-experience" rating (p = .018) and with their cognitive style (p = .02), indicat- ing that factors other than chance may have been present. In the follow-up study, overall on both ranking and rating sets of data, the target was chosen significantly above chance (sum-of-ranks = 178, p = .018; rating t = 2.487, 79 df, p = .007, both one-tailed). Breaking this overall score into its component parts, the rating data alone are sig- nificantly above chance for both psi and subliminal percep- tion (t = 1.736, 39 df, p = .04), and the ranking data are suggestive (sum-of-ranks = 89, p = .069)~ The participants' scores were related to their attitudes (p = .05) but not to their cognitive styles (p = .31). The participante attitudes were related to their "openness-to-experience" (p = .001) and to their cognitive style (p = .059), thus supporting trends indicated in the exploratory study. These results suggest that in an experience of this type, at the level of cognitive decision (lexical Choice of target), subliminal and psi perception cannot readily be distinguished. - DA 02691. Braud, William. Dealing with displacement Jour- nal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Jul), 8](3), 209-231. 46 refs The history of the displacement effect, in which a target other than the intended one is psychically perceived or influenced, is traced from its accidental discovery by Abbot in 1938 to its occurrence in contemporary psi inves- tigations. Evidence suggestive, of displacement is reviewed in several contexts: restricted-response ESP experiments, free-response ESP experiments, and PK experiments. Fac- tors influencing displacement are discussed; these factors appear to coalesce into three major clusters of negativity, impatience, and distractability. A fourth displacement- enhancing factor, which could be termed "playfulness/ curiosity/exploration," is proposed. A number of suggested methods for minimizing displacement are presented. Most of these methods are techniques for enhancing the salience of the intended target and decreasing the salience or dis- t4ictiveness of nontargct items. - DA 02692. Matlock, James G. Archives and psychical research. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1987 (Jul), 81(3), 233-255. 86 refs The importance of archives to the historian is well known. The value of archives for education is receiving increased recognition, but little attention has been paid to their potential contribution to scientific research. This paper emphasizes the place of archives in parapsychology. Examples are given of the use of primary materials in scholarly writings and laboratory studies. The require- 15 Approved For Release 2000/08/11 : CIA-RDP96-00792ROO0400060001-7 77 __ ~117