State, Trait, and Target Parameters Associated with Accuracy in Two Online Tests of Precognitive Remote Viewing

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.24743

Keywords:

supernormal, precognition, remote viewing, psychic, anomalous cognition, parapsychology, gender differences, sex differences

Abstract

Objective. To better characterize the relations between accuracy on precognitive remote viewing (PRV) tasks and potentially relevant trait, state, and target parameters, we gathered PRV data in two online experiments and examined accuracy relative to: sex-at-birth, gender, age, anxiety, unconditional love, and target interestingness. Method. In experiment 1 we used a forced-choice, uncontrolled-time, self-judged PRV task for which 682 unpaid participants contributed a total of 5,432 trials. Experiment 2 used a free-response, controlled-time, independently judged PRV task for which 307 paid participants each contributed a single trial. In neither case were the participants pre-screened for precognition ability. Results. In experiment 1 (forced-choice PRV task), there was no significant target precognition and no effect of age on PRV performance, but we found a complex effect of sex-at-birth. We also found that targets most likely to be correctly predicted were also more likely to be judged as interesting compared to targets most likely to be incorrectly predicted; a pre-registered analysis confirmed this effect. In experiment 2 (free-response PRV task) we found significant target precognition, no effect of age on performance, and a weak and indirect effect of gender. Feelings of unconditional love and anxiety were both correlated with higher accuracy in experiment 2. Again, target interestingness was positively related to accuracy. Conclusion. These results suggest that accuracy on PRV tasks is related to the emotional state of participants and target interestingness, and that task characteristics mitigate overall performance. We provide recommendations for future research based on these observations.

References

Bem, D. J. (2011). Feeling the future: Experimental evidence for anomalous retroactive influences on cognition and affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100(3), 407-425. doi:10.1037/a0021524

Bem, D., Tressoldi, P., Rabeyron, T., & Duggan, M. (2015). Feeling the future: A meta-analysis of 90 experiments on the anomalous anticipation of random future events (version 2). F1000 Research, 4, 1188. doi:10.12688/f1000research.7177.1

Bierman, D., and Scholte, H. (2002). A fMRI brain imaging study of presentiment. Journal of the International Society of Life Information Sciences 20(2), 380–388.

Cardeña, E. (2014). A call for an open, informed study of all aspects of consciousness. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 8, 17. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.00017

Cardeña, E. (2018). The experimental evidence for parapsychological phenomena: A review. American Psychologist, 73(5), 663–677. doi:10.1037/amp0000236

Carpenter, J. C. (2005). Implicit measures of participants’ experiences in the Ganzfeld: Confirmation of previous relationships in a new sample. In, Proceedings of Presented Papers: The Parapsychological Association 48th Annual Convention (pp 36-45).

Carpenter, J., Simmonds-Moore, C., Moore, S., & Carpenter, F. (2021). ESP contributes to the unconscious formation of preferences. Journal of Parapsychology, 85(1), 28-53. doi10.30891/jopar.2021.01.06

Cieslarová, R. (2018). Analysis of the Linux random number generator in virtualized environment. Masaryk University Faculty of Informatics.

Evrard, R., & Ventola, A. M. (2018). [Whole issue]. Mindfield: The Bulletin of the Parapsychological Association, 10(3), 86-127.

Fine, M. S., & Minnery, B. S. (2009). Visual salience affects performance in a working memory task. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(25), 8016-8021. Ddoi10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5503-08.2009

Hitchman, G. A., Roe, C. A., & Sherwood, S. J. (2012). A reexamination of nonintentional precognition with openness to experience, creativity, psi beliefs, and luck beliefs as predictors of success. Journal of Parapsychology, 76(1), 109-145.

Honorton, C., Ferrari, D. G., & Bem, D. J. (1998). Extraversion and ESP performance: A meta-analysis and a new confirmation. Journal of Parapsychology 62(3), 255-276.

Houran, J., Lange, R., & Hooper, D. (2018). Cross-examining the case for precognition: Comment on Mossbridge and Radin (2018). Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(1), 98-109. doi:10.1037/cns0000126

Katz, D., Smith, N., Bulgatz, M., Graff, D. & Lane, J. (2019). The associative remote dreaming experiment: A novel approach to predicting future outcomes of sporting events. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 83(2), 65-84.

Katz, D.L., Grgic, I., Tressoldi, P., & Fendley, T. (2021). Associative remote viewing projects: Assessing rater reliability and factors affecting successful predictions. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 85(2), 65-90.

Kolodziejzyk, G. (2013). Greg Kolodziejzyk’s 13-year associative remote viewing experiment results. Journal of Parapsychology, 76, 349-368.

Krippner, S., Saunders, D. T., Morgan, A., & Quan, A. (2019). Remote viewing of concealed target pictures under light and dark conditions. Explore, 15(1), 27-37. doi:10.1016/j.explore.2018.07.001

Lobach, E. (2009). Presentiment research: Past, present and future. In C.A. Roe, L. Coly, & W. Kramer (Eds) Utrecht II: Charting the future of parapsychology (pp. 22-45). Parapsychology Foundation.

May, E. (2014). Advances in anomalous cognition analysis: A judge-free and accurate confidence-calling technique. In E. May & S. B. Marwaha (Eds.), Anomalous cognition: Remote viewing research and theory (pp. 80–88). McFarland.

Miao, C., Humphrey, R. doi., & Qian, S. (2018). The relationship between emotional intelligence and trait mindfulness: A meta-analytic review. Personality and Individual Differences, 135, 101-107.

Mossbridge, J. A. (2023a). Precognition at the boundaries: An empirical review and theoretical discussion. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 3(1), 5-41. doi:10.31156/jaex.24216

Mossbridge, J. A. (2023b). Sam Knight details how not to build a premonitions bureau. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 3(2), 369-375. doi: 10.31156/jaex.25150

Mossbridge, J. A., & Radin, D. (2018a). Precognition as a form of prospection: A review of the evidence. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(1), 78. doi:10.1037/cns0000121

Mossbridge, J. A., & Radin, D. (2018b). Plausibility, statistical interpretations, physical mechanisms and a new outlook: Response to commentaries on a precognition review. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(1), 110-116. doi:10.1037/cns0000152

Mossbridge, J. A., Nisam, M., & Crabtree, A. (2021b). Can hypnotic suggestion induce feelings of unconditional love and supernormal performance? Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 8(1), 30-50. doi:10.1037/scp0000239

Mossbridge, J., & Radin, D. (2021). Psi performance as a function of demographic and personality factors in smartphone-based tests: Using a “SEARCH” approach. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 1(1-2), 78-113. doi:10.31156/jaex.23419

Mossbridge, J., Johnson, K., Washburn, P., Williams, A., & Sapiro, M. (2021a). Smartphone time machine: Tech-supported improvements in time perspective and wellbeing measures. Frontiers in Psychology, 5012. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.744209

Mossbridge, J., Tressoldi, P. E., & Utts, J. (2012). Predictive physiological anticipation preceding seemingly unpredictable stimuli: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 3, 390. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00390

Mossbridge, J.A. & Vivanco, J. (2022). Can we heal the earth with intuition? Aperture 34, 44-66.

Mumford, M. D., Rose, A. M., & Goshin, D. A. (1995). An evaluation of remote viewing: Research and applications. American Institutes for Research.

Nelson, R. D., Dunne, B. J., Dobyns, Y. H., & Jahn, R. G. (1996). Precognitive remote perception: Replication of remote viewing. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 10(1), 109-110.

Palmer, J., & Carpenter, J. C. (1998). Comments on the extraversion-ESP meta-analysis by Honorton, Ferrari and Bem. Journal of Parapsychology 62(3), 277-282.

Radin, D., & Lobach, E. (2007). Toward understanding the placebo effect: Investigating a possible retrocausal factor. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13, 733–739. doi:10.1089/acm.2006.6243

Roe, C., Cooper, C., Hickinbotham, L., Hodrien, A., Kirkwood, L., & Martin, H. (2020). Performance at a precognitive remote viewing task, with and without ganzfeld stimulation: Three experiments. Journal of Parapsychology, 84(1), 38-65. doi:10.30891/jopar.2020.01.06

Roney-Dougal, S. M., & Solfvin, J. (2011). Exploring the relationship between Tibetan meditation attainment and precognition. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 25(1), 29-46.

Roney-Dougal, S. M., Solfvin, J., & Fox, J. (2008). An exploration of degree of meditation attainment in relation to psychic awareness with Tibetan Buddhists. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 22(2), 161-78.

Schwartz, S. A. (2007). Opening to the infinite: The art and science of nonlocal awareness. Nemoseen Media.

Schwartz, S. A. (2021). 2060 Visions of the future. Venture Inward, 38, 36-40.

Schwarzkopf, D. S. (2018). On the plausibility of scientific hypotheses: Commentary on Mossbridge and Radin (2018). Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(1), 94-97. doi:10.1037/cns0000125

Smith, C. C., Laham, D., & Moddel, J. (2014). Stock market prediction using associative remote viewing by inexperienced remote viewers. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 28(1), 7-16.

Smith, P. (2005). Reading the enemy's mind: Inside Star Gate: America's psychic espionage program. Macmillan.

Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Lowe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166, 1092-1097. doi:10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092

Tait, A. (2019, Sept. 29). Psychic future: What’s next for the ‘precog economy’? In The

Guardian. https://doi.theguardian.com/global/2019/sep/29/psychic-future-what-next-for-the-precognition-economy

Targ, R. (2019). What do we know about psi? The first decade of remote-viewing research and operations at Stanford Research Institute. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 33(3), 569-592. doi:10.31275/2019/1669

Utts, J. (1995). An assessment of the evidence for psychic functioning. Journal of Parapsychology, 59, 289-320.

Varvoglis, M., Bancel, P. A., Bailly, J. P., Boban, J., & si Ahmed, D. (2019). The selfield: Optimizing precognition research 4. Journal of Parapsychology, 83(1), 13-24. doi:10.30891/jopar.2019.01.02

Wargo, E. (2015). Time’s taboos: Dirty thoughts on systems, syntropy, and psi. Syntropy 1, 57-67.

Wang, B., & Theeuwes, J. (2020). Salience determines attentional orienting in visual selection. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 46(10), 1051. doi:10.1037/xhp0000796

Watt, C., Dawson, E., Tullo, A., Pooley, A., & Rice, H. (2020). Testing precognition and alterations of consciousness with selected participants in the ganzfeld. Journal of Parapsychology, 84(1), 21-37. doi:10.30891/jopar2020.01.05

Wittmann, M., Scheck, F., Feldmann, J., Glaesmann, A., Mossbridge, J., & Bem, D. (2021). The German version of a retroactive priming task shows mixed effects. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1037/cns0000296

Zdrenka, M., & Wilson, M. S. (2017). Individual difference correlates of psi performance in forced-choice precognition experiments: A meta-analysis (1945-2016). Journal of Parapsychology, 81(1), 9-32.

Downloads

Published

2024-06-05

How to Cite

Mossbridge, J., Cameron, K., & Boccuzzi, M. . (2024). State, Trait, and Target Parameters Associated with Accuracy in Two Online Tests of Precognitive Remote Viewing. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 4(1), 88–121. https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.24743

Issue

Section

Empirical Papers