| Reference code: | PT/FB/BL-2006-001.05 |
| Location: | Arquivo PCA - Pasta 14/2006
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Title:
| Automated testing for telepathy using emails and telephone calls
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| Publication year: | 2012
|
URL:
| http://www.bial.com/imagem/Bial%20Sonhos%20Miolo_Total%20Bolsas.pdf
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| Abstract/Results: | ABSTRACT:
OBJECTIVES:
The purpose of this project was to develop automated tests using emails, SMS messages and telephone calls to find out if subjects could guess at levels above chance who, out of three people, was contacting them.
METHODS:
Subjects registered online giving the names and email addresses or mobile phone numbers of three contacts. In each trial the computer picked one of the three contacts at random and sent her an email or text message asking her to contact the subject through the computer system. The subject was then informed by email, SMS message or phone call that one of the contacts was getting in touch with him, and he had to guess which of the three it was. After guessing he received the message or phone call, and thus received immediate feedback. All details of the trials were automatically recorded and stored in an online database.
RESULTS:
In the automated email telepathy tests, in a total of 419 trials there were 175 hits (41.8%), significantly above the chance level of 33.3% (p = 0.0001). There was no significant difference in hit rates with male and female subjects. The highest hit rates were with subjects in the 20-29 age group. In the automated SMS test, in 886 trials there were 336 hits (37.9%), significantly above the chance level (p = 0.001). High-scoring subjects were re-tested in filmed trials, with a hit rate of 44.2%. In the automated telephone telepathy test, in 1917 trials there were 827 hits (43.0%). This figure was very significantly above chance (p <1x10 -9). Again there was no significant difference between male and female subjects. The automated SMS and telephone test were also carried out in a precognitive form, in which subjects had to guess who was about to text or call them before the text or call was made. The random selection of contacts occurred only after they had made their guess. With SMS messages the hit rate was 110 out of 339 trials, 32.4%; and with telephone
calls 240 out of 722, 33.2%, not significantly different from the chance level of 33.3%.
DISCUSSSION:
The contrast between the positive results in telepathy tests and non-significant results in the precognition tests shows that the positive effects cannot be explained in terms of precognition. These automated tests provide a simple, replicable way in which telepathy can be tested in real-life conditions. A new automated version of the telephone telepathy test with two contacts rather than three is now available online on my web site www.sheldrake.org
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| Accessibility: | Document does not exist in file
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Language:
| eng
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Author:
| Sheldrake, R.
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Secondary author(s):
| Smart, P., Luke, D.
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Document type:
| Conference abstract
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Number of reproductions:
| 2
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Reference:
| Sheldrake, R., Smart, P., & Luke, D. (2012). Automated testing for telepathy using emails and telephone calls. In Aquém e além do cérebro. Behind and beyond the brain. Proceedings of the 9th Symposium of Fundação Bial (p. 2/63). Porto: Fundação Bial.
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| Indexed document: | No
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| Keywords: | Telepathy / Automated tests / Precognition / SMS messages / E-mails / Mobile phone
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Automated testing for telepathy using emails and telephone calls |