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I
INTRODUCTION (U)
A.
(U)
Overview
Jin accordance with
the requirements
set
forth under
the
c.
program,
"Enhanced Human Performance
Investigations'
Tjthis document provides
a progress
l"ijpdate
for work
performed by SRI
International and
its subcontractors during
Fiscal Year
1987.
The aim of
the five-year program
(FY 1986-1990)
is
to provide
research and development
in
the area of psychoenergetics as
a means
to
enhancing human performance «
B.
(U)
Definitions
(U)
Psychoenergeiic phenomena are defined here as direct interactions between human
consciousness and
the environment,
which,
although
the mechanism
is unexplained,
can be
observed
and
recorded.
These human
capabilities
fall
into
two
main
categories:
(1)
the
acquisition of information, and
(2)
the production of physical
effects.
These can be
further
defined
as:
•
Remote Viewing
(RV)/Extrasensory
Perception
(ESP)
- The
ability
to gain
access, by mental means alone,
to concealed data or remote
sites.
•
Remote Action (RA)/Psychokinesis (PK) - The ability to influence, by mental
means alone, physical or biological systems.
C.
(U) Program Scope
__ This program
is designed
to provide
the necessary foundation
to assess various aspects of psychoenergetics
<
-v
l
. _
The program
is highly diverse and
interdisciplinary;
it
spans many
fields and
involves academic and research facilities,
subcontractors,
and
consultants.
Furthermore,
it
initiates an
in-depth investigation
into
the
life sciences aspects of psychoenergetic phenomena.
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D.
(U) Program Objectives
(U) There
are
three
basic program
objectives:
(1)
to document
that
psychoenercetic
phenomena
are
real and
reproducible;
(2)
to determine
the mechanism(s)
underlying these
phenomena;
and
(3)
to
bring
the
field
of psychoenergetics
into
the mainstream
of human
performance research, by providing a scientific foundation equivalent to that of the
rest of the
performance
research
field.
In
the minds
of some,
there
is no doubt
that psychoenergetic
phenomena are real and reproducible.
In the minds of many others, both scientific professionals
and informed lay persons,
this
is not the case.
<
The categories
of research
interest under consideration form
a
hierarchy ranging from basic research on fundamental mechanisms
to
methodologies
for applications
including:
•
Identifying explanatory mechanisms
(e.g.,
electromagnetic
effects,
neurophysiological mechanisms).
•
Specifying phenomenological properties
(e.g.,
the effects
of
distance and shielding)
•
Determining physical,
physiological,
and psychological
correlates
(e.g.,
geophysical environment,
EEC and GSR
measures,
and personality profiling).
•
Developing optimal strategies
for use
in applications
(e.g.
,
statistical averaging)
E.
(U)
Program Resources
(U) To meet the above objectives, the SRI program
is using both in-house and external
expertise.
For over a decade, a core group of researchers at SRI has been studying a wide variety
of
subjects
in
psychoenergetics—augmented
by
access
to
specialty
centers
such
as
our
neurosciences and our microbial genetics
laboratories'.
(U) Some of the work
is being subcontracted to institutions, groups, and consultants who
have a demonstrated track record in this research area.
Other subcontractors may have had no
association with
this
field
but, because
of their specific area of expertise, can make valuable
contributions to our program goals.
Thus,
the widest possible
interdisciplinary viewpoints are
available to the program, and the mixture of resources
will ensure that peer group review and
scientific
interactions
are
maximized.
Subcontractors
and
consultants
currently
include
personnel from Princeton University, Syracuse University, John F. Kennedy University, the Palo
Alto Medical
Clinic, MARS Measurements Associates,
Psychophysical Research Laboratories,
the
Parapsychology
Sources
of
Information
Center,
Mind
Science
Foundation,
and
the
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4.
(U)
Objective A, Task 4—Gross Physiological Correlates to RV
|pne
of
the persistent problems
in deploying RV
,
i
i-
^ vis
the
lack of an a priori method for assessing
the
quality of
a particular RV session.
The present exploratory
investigation
was an attempt
to discover whether external physiological cues could be
u$ed
to discriminate accurate from inaccurate sessions.
(U)
In an exploratory attempt to learn more about this aspect of the RV process, 20
RV sessions, comprising the output of one subject from a separate experiment, were videotaped
arjd
analyzed by
a
behavioral
psychologist
to
discover
if accurate
sessions
could
be
blindly
separated from inaccurate sessions by gross external physiological changes which occurred during
the RV
session.
Behaviors
defined
and
coded
included
latency
to
first
response,
head
movements, hand gestures, and interactive and descriptive verbalizations.
Frequency counts of
each behavior were made and correlated with a measure of the quality of the RV.
(U)
Unfortunately for this analysis, the measure of RV quality showed no significant
RV
function.
Thus,
correlation between RV
quality and
the
behaviors
rated
could
not
be
expected
to show a
significant
relationship.
Results matched
this expectation; there were no
significant correlations between the measure of RV quality and the behaviors noted.
There was a
nob-significant trend in the positive direction for latency to
first response which
is similar to the
measurement of latency from stimulus to response time measured
in another
pilot experiment
(see Task F-3).
It should also be noted that two behaviors of particular interest, namely eye
mpvement and
facial expression, were not analyzed in
this study because
facial expression was
considered too subjective without multiple observers while the quality of the video recordings did
no( permit accurate observation of eye movement.
(U)
In
conclusion,
this
study
does
not
rule
out
the
possibility
that
external
physiological cues may
give important
clues
to the
quality
of RV.
It would be
necessary
to
conduct a similar study with a sample of known high-quality remote viewing.
5.
(U)
Objective B. Task
1— Resource Library
(U) The
Parapsychology
Sources
of
Information
Center
(PSIC,
Rhea
A.
White,
Dirjector) has completed two years of a multi-year effort intended to provide and maintain an
extensive data base
facility for parapsychological literature, described in a separate report.
The
overall
goal
is
to have
the
data
base,
called
PsiLine,
include
bibliographic
information and
abstracts of the entire literature of parapsychology and related disciplines.
During the
first year
of
a
multi-year
effort,
PSIC
purchased
the
necessary
hardware
and
software,
and
then
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13.
(U)
Objective F, Task
1—Fundamental Parameters of RV
, Two different precognition experiments were conducted
during FY 1987.
The
first
of
these
involved
a well-calibrated viewer
(Viewer
372)
and used natural Bay Area sites
as
targets.
Ten real-time
and ten precognitive trials
(counterbalanced)
yielded no statistical
evidence
for remote viewing.
In
the second experiment,
4 viewers
contributed approximately
trials each
in
a similar counterbalanced
real-time versus precognition protocol.
In
this experiment,
however,
the
target material was photographs
from
a national magazine.
No statistical
evidence
for remote viewing was observed
in this experiment.
In
a
third
experiment designed
to explore
the role of feedback upon remote viewing
quality,
two
of
four viewers produced
independently highly significant
evidence
for remote viewing.
There was
no correlation between
the quality
of RV and
the
intensity of
the feedback
for either of
the significant
viewers.
These data do not generally support
the precognition model.
To
confirm
this,
we must examine
the validity of
the assumption
that
the
actual
feedback
is related
to
the consciously perceived
feedback.
In
other words,
we question what constituted
"enough"
feedback
to saturate
the RV signal.
14.
(U)
Objective F, Task 2—Video Disk Training Technology
(U) The FY
1987
effort was aimed
at developing a technology
for enhancing the
acquisition of remote viewing skills. One important factor in the development of a new skill
is the
ability to practice the skill under conditions similar to a test situation.
Until now, practice was a
time-consuming effort that required the services of a monitor and an assistant in order to ensure
a double-blind protocol.
With the advent of video disk technology coupled with the random
number capability of a personal computer,
it has become possible to develop the capacity to do
multiple RV sessions at a single sitting as well as work on specific target features with the ease and
timeliness of a forced choice task.
(U) Assembling the components
of
the system
involved
the
purchase
of
a
video
camera, a video disk recorder, and a Macintosh computer. The heart of the system
is the video
disk recorder, a specialized machine making possible the recording of both static and dynamic
targets from a variety of video inputs.
Access to any target
is on the order of one-half second.
Each
10-inch disk can store 24,000
still targets or up to
15 minutes of a motion
target.
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(U)
(3)
Cost effectiveness,
i.e.,
individual subject session times should be
kept manageably
brief
to
facilitate
rapid
turnover;
this approach
would also tend to sustain the subject’s interest in the task, thereby
maximizing the potential
for success
in the screening process.
(U) A
preliminary
survey
of
the
extant
technology
for
attaining
these
objectives indicates that the most
feasible option would include a video camera,
a
video disk
recorder,
a video monitor, and
a Macintosh computer.
The video camera would be used
to
photograph
a
variety
of
target
materials
for
frame-by-frame
inclusion
on
the
video
disk.
Random
access
to
the
target photographs would
be
computer-controlled and
therefore
very
rapid-i.e.. on the order of 0.5-second display time.
The disk, monitor, and computer would
comprise
the equipment
actually deployed
to
the
screening
site.
Overall,
this equipment
is
relatively inexpensive, portable, and durable.
c.
(U)
Target Selection
'
A wide variety of
target materials
should be
incorporated onto
the disk
to exercise
the
full potential
range
of
the
subjects abilities.
Candidate
target materials would
include photographs
drawn from
the following categories:
(1)
natural
scenes,
(2)
alphapumerics
,
(3)
technical
sites |
»
Zener cards,
and
(5)
the Maimonides
target
set.
A selection of dynamic
(i.e.,
moving video)
targets
has also been suggested.*
A small
subset
of
approximately five
targets would be selected
from each category for
inclusion on
the
disk:
this would
tend
to minimize
the potential
for
deviation from prescribed screening procedures;
it would also enable
greater standardization
for RV performance across
the screened population.
d.
(U) Subject Populations
(U)
Judicious selection of candidate subject populations
is recommended over
the less-efficient and more labor-intensive “shotgun" approach.
One possible guideline, which
has beert derived primarily from the observations of RV monitors,
is that a certain richness of the
subject’^ vocabulary may be important for a comprehensive debrief of the RV signal.
This would
HaijTi
hlS
lS r mtend®d to be a comprehensive
list of target categories:
some mav be
and £finpH°
th
Th may beadded as
..the mass serening protocol
is developed, deployed
and refined.
The same caveat applies to other research items mentioned in this discussion
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(U)
tend to imply that subjects should be sought out from groups that have members with superior
verbal
abilities.
(U)
Other candidate populations might include groups whose members exhibit
superior
skills
in drawing, draftsmanship, or other
visual
abilities.
This approach
is suggested
because pictorial representation
is another rich modality
for debriefing the RV signal.
«
^
a third approach might center on drawing from
populations whose members excel
at pattern recognition or
in
the ability
to discern
a tenuous
signal
line
in
a noisy background.
I
«
Also subsumed under
this category are groups whose members
show
an aptitude
for
institutional decision-making— i.e.,
what
might
be
referred
to
in
the vernacular as
"playing hunches."
Such groups might
include,
for example,
police detectives,
businessmen who make consistently
correct decisions
in risky or problematical
ventures,
or
individuals with
a special proclivity
for locating oil.
(U) These are but a representative few of the kinds of populations that might
be targeted for screening initially.
It
is anticipated that other promising populations
will emerge
empirically as the screening system
is deployed on a
pilot basis.
e.
(U)
Methodology and Deployment
(U)
Research issues pertaining to screening methodology and deployment
fall
into two principal categories:
(1) manipulation of intra - session variables for arriving at the most
meaningful and efficient screening procedure, and (2) standardization of inter-session guidelines
for deploying that procedure in a variety of settings. The
first area focuses primarily on the most
profitable
use
of
the
hardware,
while
the
second
area
emphasizes
standardization
across
screening sessions.
(U)
Primary research
issues concerning the design
of the
optimal screening
package include
(1) determination of feedback conditions
(e.g., whether there should be a “no
feedback” target in each screening session),
(2)
identification of the optimal number of targets
per session and their randomization
(e.g., whether targets should be presented on a gradient of
complexity, or whether they should be randomly selected), and (3) determination of the analysis
techniques to be employed
(e.g.. forced-choice guess by the subject versus detailed verbal and
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(U)
visual assessment by an independent
analyst).
Recent developments
in the uses of fuzzy
set
theory and
cluster analysis show promise
for affording “on-line”
analysis of RV on National
Geographic Magazine targets.
(U)
In the second major area of investigation, several preliminary guidelines
have Emerged with respect to optimizing inter-session standardization.
First, screening settings
must be chosen with the aim
of
mitigating a
subject’s performance
anxiety:
a one-on-one
private or semi-private session with a trained monitor
is indicated.
Second, a series of general
instructions must be devised that serve to inform the naive subject as to what the RV task entails.
These instructions must be specific enough to elicit RV performance without biasing the subject
towards any particular RV technology.
Third, monitors must be thoroughly conversant with
a
standard set of screening procedures,
in order to minimize idiosyncratic variability in such areas
as feedback to the subject.
Monitors may be required,
for example,
to memorize scripts that
dictate the nature of subject/monitor interactions for each target.
Scripts might also serve the
function of providing the framework for the systematic elicitation of RV data along a number of
predetermined dimensions—e.g.. visual, conceptual, functional, depending on the nature of the
target material.
Fourth,
a standardized questionnaire must be devised to address psychological
parameters.
It would include a section for standard biographical data and a section for questions
drawn from the MBTI and the Psychophysical Research Laboratory’s PIF.
The purpose of the
form
would
be
to
investigate,
across
a
large
population,
whether
psychological
self-report
correjates with RV
ability.
If such
correlations were obtained,
then
the
questionnaire might
profitably be used as an
initial pre-screening device.
(U)
All
of
the
research
issues
presented
in
this
discussion
will
be
most
profitably determined and
refined
from
actually using
the system.
If
possible,
the optimal
approach would
entail
successive
pilot deployments
of the
screening
device
in
a
variety
of
settirigs.
20.
(U)
Objective F, Task 8—Host Physiology Conference
On 28 July
1987,
SRI
International hosted
a<
*
phy^iology~conference.
in attendance were
D.
Arthur,
Ph.D.
,
and
E.
Flynn
Ph.p from Los Alamos National Laboratory;
S.
Kornguth,
Ph.D.
from
the
Neurology Department of
the University of Wisconsin;
R.
Murray,
M.D.,
Chairman,
the Department of Medicine,
Michigan State University;
R.
Dickhaut,
Spectra Research
Institute;
M.
Hecker.
Ph.D..
SRI
International
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T.
Piantanida,
Ph.D.
,
SRI
International,
E.
May,
Ph.D.,
SRI
International;
[The goal
of
the conference was
to determine
the proper
direction
for investigating possible correlates
to psychoenergetic
functioning,
and
to recommend specific experiments
to search
for
correlates.
The primary emphasis was on neurophysiology.
Attendee
comments are available upon request.
\
After an overview Of
the Enhanced Human Performance
Investigation project by May,
the discussions centered upon metabolic
measurements
(PET)
and possible physiological
indicators of
psychoenergetic
functioning with visual evoked response.
^
“pother topics
that were discussed were other possible
physiological areas of
investigation,
including technical
voice analysis.
It was generally decided,
however,
that except
for
PET,
and certain
button-pressing experiments,
physiological correlates
to
the
subtle
forms
of psychoenergetic
functioning would be difficult
to
find.
j
as
a direct result
of
the conference,
the Los Alamos group
will use visual evoked response techniques with
the MEG
to replicate
earlier successful experiments demonstrating physiological
responses
to
a
remote stimulus.
(U) A number of the participants responded to the conference in letter form.
These
letters are contained in Appendix B.
21.
(U)
Objective F. Task 9—Neuropsychological Assessment
(U)
During FY
1986
exploratory
work
was
begun
to
attempt
the
discovery
of
neuropsychological
correlates of psychoenergetic
function.
As
part of
that
effort,
Dr.
Ralph
Kiernan of the Stanford Medical School developed a battery of tests designed to test the function
of the
frontal lobes which he hypothesized to be involved
in psychoenergetic
function.
As a
follow-on
to
his
theoretical
formulation and
hypothesis
generation.
Dr.
Kiernan
tested
subjects who had participated in previous RV and Search/Dowsing studies.
His test battery was
composed mainly of scales from Guilford’s measure of intelligence, and scales were combined to
give a score
for productive ideation, a component directly related to positive
frontal function.
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(U)
placed
)t on a small empty table, and then rang a bell into the telephone, signaling to the viewer
to perceive the target.
The viewer than declared “yes,” "no,” or “?” and gave his response; he
then received immediate feedback from the experimenter.
For every
trial,
the experimenter
made
a
written record
of the
possible
targets,
actual
target,
declared
condition, and
viewer
response,
as well as date and time of the
trial.
(U) The
hypothesis
being
tested
was
whether
Viewer
002
is
able
to
recognize
“contact”
with
the
target.
If
this
hypothesis
is
true,
we
would
expect
above-chance,
below-dhance, and chance
results
in the
“yes,”
“no,” and “?”
conditions,
respectively.
The
reason that we would expect below-chance results in the “no” condition
is that psychoenergetic
functioning
is required by the viewer
if he “knows”
that he
is not in contact with the target.
In
other words, the viewer
is willing to declare that he
is likely to be wrong.
The
trials
took place
at approximately the
same
time every
day between January
and February
20,
1987,
with
a varying number of
trials per day.
Of
147
trials
in
the
"yes"
condition,
88 were hits,
where
74 would be expected by chance.
Of
trials
in
the
"no"
condition,
were
hits,
where
30 would
be expected by chance.
Of
the
121
trials
in
the
"?"
condition,
66 were
hits,
where
61 would be expected by chance.
The
p-values
for these
three conditions are 0.01,
0.05,
and
0.23,
respectively.
From p-values alone,
it appears
that
the hypothesis
is
supported.
The
trend
in
the psychological
sciences
is
to use some measure
of
"effect
size"
in conjunction with p-values.
The reason
is
that
p-values
are sample-size dependent
and,
therefore,
may mask
important
results.
The
"effect
size"
for
the
three conditions
is 0.20,
0.21,
and
0.09,
respectively.
This result
indicates
that
the equivalent amount
of
psychoenergetic functioning was used by Viewer 002
to determine his degree
of contact with
the
target.
We are encouraged by
this result because
it
represents
a modest
success
toward
the goal
of recognizing
the
source
of
"noise"
in forced-choice experiments.
(U)
During the second half of FY 1987, we conducted another series of trials of the
forced-choice
format,
using
the same
protocol
as described above
but with
slightly
different
conditions and testing a slightly different hypothesis.
These
trials took place from 23 February
through 21 September
1987,
a
total of 82 sessions (one session per day
at approximately the
same time every day), with a varying number of trials per session.
Before each session the viewer
declared how he
felt, and he assessed how successfully he would contact the targets in the coming
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py x987,
an experiment was conducted which successfully
replicatedthis
finding.
Of eight participants
(six experienced and
two
novices),
one scored significantly
in
the space condition,
and none
in
the
time condition.
However,
the
two subjects who scored
the best
in
the
space condition had previously been successful
in
that condition,
and
the
subject who scored best
in
the
time condition had previously been
successful
in
that condition.
This suggests
that participants are
likely
to consistently do well
in one condition or
the other,
but not both.
I
^Since
this
is
the
third successful
laboratory replication
of
this experiment,
it
suggests
that
this technique
for finding
a hidden
target may be robust enough
to use
in,
.applications
for which such
information
is needed,
such as
locating a kidnap victim
_
~r-
The
best subject
in
the FY 1987 experiment
showed
a reduction
in
the area
that
would need
to be searched
in 72% of
the
trials
in
the space condition,
with
an average reduction
in area of
33%.
Previous experiments showed
even greater reductions.
In real-world applications,
this could represent
a substantial savings
in resources.
(U) A second search experiment was conducted in FY 1987 to see
if self-proclaimed
dowsers could find a
lost ship by searching a grid overlaid on a map.
The object of the search
was
a sunken Spanish
galleon called The Atocha, which was
actually found
in
1985.
The
experiment was preceded by
a real-world search
in which one of the
participants successfully
located
another
sunken
ship
by
choosing
the
correct
locations
on
an
unmarked
grid.
Accompanied by SRI personnel,
the participant was in a vessel anchored over the
site
of the
wreck at the time of the experiment. The Atocha experiment was carried out with two sets of 25
trials
for each of five participants, but
failed to produce a single significant
result.
25.
(U)
Objective H, Task 1—RA Effects on Single Alpha Particles
(U) Due to unforeseen circumstances, the alpha particle experiment never reached a
point where
it was
stable
enough
to
collect
data
from human
participants.
After
careful
consideration of the cost to continue and the results of the other RA experiments for FY 1987.
it
was decided to stop work on this task.
What follows
is an engineering summary of the state of
the system at close-out.
(U)
During FY
1987,
SRI
developed
a
novel,
position-sensitive system
to
detect
alpha particles.
In order to reduce the cost and complexity of the system, we elected to employ
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32.
(U) FY 1986 Objective E. Task
1—PMT Final
|We conducted
a replication of work published
in
FY 1984
in
which we experimentally examined
the possibility
that
light
is emitted
in
the vicinity of correctly
identified remote viewing target
material.
In
that earlier experiment,
a state-of-the-art,
ambient
temperature,
photon-counting system was used
to monitor
the
target material
(35-mm
slides
of
National Geographic photographs)
.
The statistical measure derived
from
the photon counting apparatus
in
that study showed
a significant
positive correlation with
the RV results
(p < 0.035).
That
is,
when
the
remote viewing was good,
there was
an
increase
in
the
signal detected by
the photon-counting system.
In addition,
we observed
two anomalous pulses
having a signal-to-noise ratio of about
20 or
40:1.
In
the present
experiment
(FY
1987)
,
we
improved all hardware aspects
of
the previous
work,
substantially reducing
the background noise
level and
improving
shielding against artifact.
In addition,
analysis
of
the remote viewing
indicates
that
three
out
of
the
four viewers produced
independently
significant
results.
^Our analysis of
the
PMT data shows no evidence
of any
anomalous high-count-rate pulses,
no evidence of any effect
on
the PMT
output during
the
RV session,
and no evidence of any significant
correlation between RV performance and PMT output.
We conclude
that
(1)
the effect proposed by
the Chinese
is artifactual
in nature,
and
(2)
suggest
that
the significant correlation observed
in our
1984
study
is
either
a statistical anomaly or
the result of
Intuitive Data Sorting on
the part
of
the experimenters.
33.
(U)
Objective J, Task
1—Administrative Support
(U) There are no deliverables required
for this Task.
34.
(U)
Objective J, Task 2—Publications
(U) There are no deliverables required
for this Task.
35.
(U)
Objective J, Task 3—Computer Hardware/Software Maintenance
(U)
SRI
has
negotiated
a
contract
with
Sun
Microsystems
that
offers
software
maintenance and support coverage at a greatly reduced rate to
all Sun users at SRI.
The overall
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Final Technical
Report
December 1988
Covering the Period
1 October 1987 to 30 September 1988
ENHANCED HUMAN PERFORMANCE
INVESTIGATION (U)
L
333 Ravenswood Ave.
• Menlo Park. CA 94025
415
326-3200
• TWX
910-373-2046
•
Telex
334-486
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I INTRODUCTION (U)
A.
(U)
Overview
\
accordance with thej-equirements
set
forth under the program “Enhanced
Hupian
Performance
Investigations’^
* is
document
provides
a progress update
for work performed by SRI
International during Fiscal Year (FY)
19fi8.
The
aim
of
die
five-year
program
(FY
1986-1990)
is
to
provide
research
and
development in the
ar<-a of psychoenergetics as a means for enhancing human performance ^
B.
(U)
Definitions
(U)
Psychoenergetic phenomena are defined here as direct interactions between human
consciousness
and
th<-
environment
which
can
be
observed
and
recorded
although
the
mechanism
is unexplained.
These human
capabilities
fall
into two main
categories:
(1)
the
acquisition
of informa non, and
(2)
the production
of physical
effects.
These can be
further
defined
as:
•
Remote Viewing (RV) /Extrasensory
Perception
(ESP)
- The
ability
to
gain
access, by mental means alone,
to concealed data or remote
sites.
•
Remote Action (RA) /Psychokinesis (PK) - The ability to influence, by mental
means alom
#
, physical or biological systems.
C.
(U) Program
S< <>pe
— This program
is designed to provide the necessary foundation to assess various
aspects oFpsychoenergriics \
The program
is highly diverse and
interdisciplinary;
it
spans many
fields
and
research
facilities,
personnel,
and
consultants.
Fuj-thermore,
it
initialed
an
in-depth
investigation
into
the
neurophysiological
aspects
of
psychoenergetic phenomena.
D.
(U) Program Objectives
~
The program has
four basic
objectives:
(1)
to document
that psychoenergetic
phenomena
are real ami
reproducible;
(2) to
determine
the mechanism(s)
underlying
these
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phenomena;
(3) to develop practical applications*
fend
( 4 ) 10 brin6
the field of psychoenergetics into the mainstream of human performance research, by providing a
scientific foundation equivalent to that of the
rest of the performance research
field.
In the
minds of some, there is no doubt that psychoenergetic phenomena are real and reproducible.
In
the minds of many others, both scientific professionals and informed lay persons,
this
is not the
case.
E.
(U) Program Resources
(U) To meet the above
objectives,
the SRI program uses both in-house and
external
expertise.
For over a decade, a core group of researchers at SRI has been studying a wide variety
of subjects in psychoenergetics-augmented by access to centers that specialize in related topics.
(U) Some
of
the
work
is
subcontracted
to
institutions and
consultants who
have
a
demonstrated
track
record
in
this
research
area.
Other
subcontractors may have had no
association with
this
field but, because
of their
specific area
of expertise, can make valuable
contributions to our program
goals.
Thus, the widest possible
interdisciplinary viewpoints are
available
to
the program, and
the
mixture
of resources ensures
that peer group review and
scientific
interactions
are
maximized.
Subcontractors
and
consultants
currently
include
personnel
from
Psychophysical Research
Laboratories and
Los Alamos
National
Laboratory
(LANL),* plus consultants having expertise in specific areas of interest to the program.
(U) The
project does
not have
a
technical
subcontract
with LANL
for
administrative
reasons only. The sponsor has let a separate contract that
is technically supervised by S
.
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(U)
Progress to Date for Each Objective/Task
(U) The
progress
to
date
for each
Objective and Task
in
the
Statement
of Work
is
described below.
1.
(U)
Objective A, Task 1—Statistical Protocols and Research Design
(U)
In June, we sent four separate protocols to the Scientific Oversight Committee
(SOC)
for review.
They were:
(1)
An RV experiment to be conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
(2) A hypnosis experiment to be conducted at SRI.
(3) A mass screening procedure.
(4) A neurophysiological investigation using magnetoelectroencepholography
techniques.
Bedause w= did not receive any comments back irom the SOC on these protocols, we proceeded
witlj the various experiments as stated.
2.
(U)
Objective A. Task 2—Access to Ongoing Experiments
(U)
During the year, three members of the SOC,
Dr. M.
Wartell, Dr.
B. Skyrms.
and Dr. R.
Morris, paid
site
visits.
3.
(U)
Objective A, Task 3— Critical Review.
(U)
In
order
to
review
the
year’s
work,
SRI
International
hosted
a
two-day
conference for the SOC on November 3 and 4, 1988.
Their comments and SRI’s responses can
be found in the Appendix.
4.
(U)
Objective B, Task 1-Identlfy New and “Excellent" Remote Viewers
(U)
During FY 1988, SRI screened a total of 196 individuals from SRI,
, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Society for Scientific Exploration
for remote
viewing
ability.
The video disk technology and protocol that were developed during FY 1987
wdre used in this effort.
Of the 196 individuals who participated in the
first-level screening,
16 were
selected forTsTond-stage screening that involved
trials under SRI’s normal remote viewing
prbtocol.
Of these, 2 produced excellent results and have subsequently been invited to join the
research effort as part-time viewers.
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5.
(U)
Objective C, Task 1—Obtain Successful Replications Of RV
(U) This task was abandoned by agreement with the sponsor in order to focus more
attention on Objective D, Task
1.
6.
(U)
Objective D, Task 1—Determine Physiological Indicators Of RV
(U) A contract was
let to Los Alamos National Laboratory
in order to determine
whether there are neurophysiological indicators of remote viewing. Two protocols were designed
that represented replications of earlier work.
One was a remote-conditioning design where
a
viewer received a
direct stimulus
(light)
after a remote
light had hashed.
The second was
a
replication of earlier SRI work
in which
it was found that one individual exhibited
significant
alpha blocking as the result of a remote stimulus
(light).
|
Six individuals participated in experiments conducted at Los Alamos.
Some
of them exhibited a response to a remote stimulus approximately 100 ms after the onset of the
stimulus.
Given the shielding environment,
it remains possible that the central nervous systems
of these individuals are sensitive to high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
High-frequency
radiation should be shielded
in any further investigations.
f
All of the three individuals who participated in the SRI replication attempt
demonsfraled sisnificam chanSes in alpha power across the remoie stimulus boundary.
7.
(U)
Objective E, Tasks
1 and 2-Determine The Effects Of Robust Feedback On
RV Quality
(U) We
have
used
the
data
from
the
second-level
screening
screening
task
(Objective B, Task
1)
to examine the role of robust feedback on RV performance.
The data from 85 second-level screening remote viewings were used
in the
analysis.
One of the
target categories.
Natural, showed a
significant tendency over the other
categories f
1 Science/Industrial, and
Projects)
to produce better remote viewing.
One
single target'in the Projects category (Deep Quest-an underwater scene and submersible)
also
showed a significant tendency to be
“visible."
We have examined the possibility that such results could arise because of a
judging preference
for more interesting targets.
In one case, there was bias against one of the
less interesting targets, but judging biases are unable to account for the target preferences.
As
was found in other laboratories,
it appears that moving targets with complete (video and audio)
feedback provide the best RV targets,
static images with no audio feedback the worst.
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I In contrast, judges did appear to be biased against Project Ultra.
Out of the 28
tim^s
it was included in either table,
it was ranked last place 16 times, including 5 of the 10 times
it wis the intended target and 11 of the 18 times it was the unintended target.
This target is quite
different from Project Deep Quest because the theme
is unclear even after observing the target,
unless one
is already familiar with Project Ultra.
Table
(U) RANKINGS FOR INTENDED TARGETS
Category
|
Projects
Manhattan Project
Project Blue Book
Project Deep Quest
Project Ultra
Totals
lylilitary
Aircraft Carrier Takeoff
Atomic Blasts
Control Room
Russians in Space
Totals
Natural
Greek Temple
Ostriches
Skiing
Waterfall
Totals
Science/Industrial
Bottling Factory
Building Construction
John Glenn Launch
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Rank
Rank 2
Rank 3
Rank 4
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degrees of freedom.
Clearly, this
is different from the expected value of zero, and thus on the
average, there was not a constant hit rate.
FIGURE 3
(U) EXCESS HITTING DURING EXPLORATORY TRJALS-1988
Shown also in Figure 3
is the “instantaneous” hit rate, R, calculated over 10
trial segments (open circles).
The
first point,
at
trials, represents the average hit rate from
trial 5 to trial 15; the second point at 20 trials represents the average hit rate from trial 15 to trial
25 and so on. The line labeled MCE (mean chance expectation) corresponds to a 50% hit rate.
The unlabeled
line
(/? = 0.529 + .003 n)
is the regression
line
for the instantaneous
hit rate.
While
the
curve
demonstrates
a
clear
trend
toward
performance
enhancement,
the
linear
correlation coefficient
is not significantly
(r = 0.203, p < 0.09) greater than chance
(r = 0.0).
I
_ Figure
3 shows
periods
of
significant
growth
followed
by
periods
of
consolidation.
Major strategy 535
fits this model, but major strategy 536 does not.
Yet, major
strategy 537 produced another period of growth.
Strategy 537B
is also labeled because
it was the
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vJ\^
Final ^port-i
Hi
r _ mU
1&87
AA
r>n«*nmho7
December 1988
FORCED-CHOICE REMOTE VIEWING (U)