Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

The relationship between lability and performance at intentional and non-intentional versions of an implicit PMIR-type psi task

Hitchman, G. A., Roe, C. A. and Sherwood, S. J. (2015) The relationship between lability and performance at intentional and non-intentional versions of an implicit PMIR-type psi task. Journal of Parapsychology. 79(1), pp. 65-86. 0022-3387.

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8238:13685
[thumbnail of Hitchman Roe Sherwood Study 2 paper revised.docx]
Hitchman Roe Sherwood Study 2 paper revised.docx
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8238:17902
[thumbnail of Accepted version]
Accepted version
Hitchman20158238.pdf - Accepted Version
Information
Abstract:
A number of theories of psi such as Stanford’s Psi-mediated Instrumental Response (PMIR) model suggest psi can function without a person’s awareness, and that their intent to exhibit psi may be counterproductive. However, few parapsychological studies have directly compared participants’ performance at intentional and non-intentional versions of equivalent tasks. This study sought to address this issue whilst exploring the role of lability, suggested by Stanford to be predictive of a person’s propensity to respond to extrasensory stimuli. Fifty participants took part in both intentional and non-intentional versions of a 10-trial, binary, forced choice precognition task. A contingent outcome task system involving positive pictures as reward for hit trials and negative pictures as punishment for miss trials was administered on a trial-by-trial basis. Participants scored marginally fewer hits than the mean chance expectation in both versions of the task, with no tangible difference in their performance between tasks. Furthermore, no relationship was found between the number of precognitive hits they achieved and their scores on a composite psychometric measure of lability, nor its constituent elements. However, participants’ expectations that their luck could aid their performance, as well as their emotional reactivity, were positively related to their tacit psi scores.
Subjects:
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF1228 Spiritualism > BF1321 Extrasensory perception
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF1001 Parapsychology. Psychic research. Psychology of the conscious
Creators:
Hitchman, G. A., Roe, C. A. and Sherwood, S. J.
Funders or Sponsors:
Bial Foundation
Grant Reference Number:
105-08
Projects:
105-08
Publisher:
Rhine Research Center
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes:
University Faculties, Divisions and Research Centres - OLD > Research Centre > Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes
Research Centres > Centre for Psychology and Social Sciences
Date:
2015
Date Type:
Publication
Page Range:
pp. 65-86
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Parapsychology
Volume:
79
Number:
1
Language:
English
ISSN:
0022-3387
Status:
Published / Disseminated
Refereed:
Yes
Related URLs:
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