TY - JOUR
T1 - Resources on Escolà-Gascón et al.'s (2023) remote viewing research per the original CIA experiments
AU - Escolà-Gascón, Álex
AU - Serra, Max Vilarasau
AU - Houran, James
AU - Dagnall, Neil
AU - Drinkwater, Kenneth
AU - Denovan, Andrew
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - This report describes and presents the raw data from Escolà-Gascón et al.’s1 remote viewing study, which extended similar experiments initiated by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Remote viewing is a research technique that allows scientists to examine the degree to which individuals might access “distant (or nonlocal) information” without using known logical-perceptual channels. Many parapsychologists regard such effects as evidence of psychic (or psi) ability, whereas other researchers more cautiously designate beyond-chance results as “anomalous cognition.” The original research commissioned by the CIA provided favorable (though highly controversial) results, and several subsequent replications have shown positive and non-significant results. This has fostered heated scientific debate about the nature or meaning of these anomalous cognitions from theoretical, methodological, and statistical viewpoints. This report contextualizes the data obtained from our investigation that conceptually replicated the results of prior remote viewing experiments. Specifically, the authors found a positive association between emotional intelligence (EI) and positive performance (or “hits”) in remote viewing cognitive experiments, employing statistical controls based on structural equation modeling (SEM). We thus clarify certain methodological issues about our data to ensure transparency with their future use. We focus on three essential points: (1) more detailed explanation of our EI measures; (2) justification of our effect size calculation and why we obtained underestimated standard deviations per the population parameter; and (3) further consideration of the nuances with interpreting the statistical anomalies (or hits) in the remote viewing tests.
AB - This report describes and presents the raw data from Escolà-Gascón et al.’s1 remote viewing study, which extended similar experiments initiated by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Remote viewing is a research technique that allows scientists to examine the degree to which individuals might access “distant (or nonlocal) information” without using known logical-perceptual channels. Many parapsychologists regard such effects as evidence of psychic (or psi) ability, whereas other researchers more cautiously designate beyond-chance results as “anomalous cognition.” The original research commissioned by the CIA provided favorable (though highly controversial) results, and several subsequent replications have shown positive and non-significant results. This has fostered heated scientific debate about the nature or meaning of these anomalous cognitions from theoretical, methodological, and statistical viewpoints. This report contextualizes the data obtained from our investigation that conceptually replicated the results of prior remote viewing experiments. Specifically, the authors found a positive association between emotional intelligence (EI) and positive performance (or “hits”) in remote viewing cognitive experiments, employing statistical controls based on structural equation modeling (SEM). We thus clarify certain methodological issues about our data to ensure transparency with their future use. We focus on three essential points: (1) more detailed explanation of our EI measures; (2) justification of our effect size calculation and why we obtained underestimated standard deviations per the population parameter; and (3) further consideration of the nuances with interpreting the statistical anomalies (or hits) in the remote viewing tests.
KW - Anomalous cognitions
KW - Central Intelligence Agency
KW - Parapsychology
KW - Remote viewing
KW - Skepticism
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85166581248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.explore.2023.07.008
DO - 10.1016/j.explore.2023.07.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 37532603
AN - SCOPUS:85166581248
SN - 1550-8307
JO - Explore
JF - Explore
ER -