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: CIA-RDP96-00787Rp00700070001-9
PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE, MARCH 1976
search for physiological correlates of information transfer, he
used the plethysmograph
to measure
changes
in
the
blood
volume in a finger, a sensitive indicator of autonomic nervous
system functioning
[47].
A plethysmographic measurement
was made on the
finger of a subject during telepathy experi-
ments.
A
sender looked
at randomly selected target cards
consisting of names known to the subject, together with names
unknown to him (selected at random from a telephone book).
The names of the known people were contributed by the sub-
ject and were to be of emotional significance to him.
Dean
found
significant
changes
in
the
chart
recording of
finger
blood volume when the remote sender was looking
at those
names known to the subject
as compared with those names
randomly chosen.
Three
other experiments
using the
physiological approach
have now been published. The first work by Tart [48]
, a later
work by
Lloyd
[49], and most
recently
the work by
the
authors [4]
all follow a similar procedure.
Basically, a subject
is closeted
in an
electrically shielded room while
his EEG
is
recorded.
Meanwhile, in another laboratory, a second person
is stimulated from time to time, and the time of that stimulus
is marked on the magnetic-tape recording of the subject’s EEG.
The subject does not know when the remote stimulus periods
are as compared with the nonstimulus periods.
With regard to choice of stimulus for our own experimenta-
tion, we noted that
in previous work others had attempted,
without success, to detect evoked potential changes in a sub-
ject’s EEG
in response to a single stroboscopic flash stimulus
observed by another
subject
[50].
In a discussion of that
experiment, Kamiya suggested that because of the unknown
temporal
characteristics of the information channel,
it might
be more appropriate to use repetitive bursts of light to increase
the probability of detecting information transfer [51]
. There-
fore, in our study we chose to use a stroboscopic flash train of
10-s duration as the remote stimulus.
In the design of the study, we assumed that the application
of
the remote
stimulus would
result
in responses similar to
those obtained under conditions of direct stimulation.
For
example,
when
an
individual
is
stimulated
with
a
low-
frequency (< 30 Hz) flashing
light, the EEG typically shows
a
decrease
in
the
amplitude
of
the
resting rhythm and
a
driving of the brain waves at the frequency of the flashes [52]
We hypothesized
that
if we
stimulated one
subject
in
this
manner (a putative sender), the EEG of another subject in a
remote room
with no flash present
(a receiver) might show
changes
in
alpha
(9-11 Hz)
activity
and
possibly an EEG
driving similar to that of the sender, or other coupling to the
sender’s EEG
[53],
The
receiver was
seated
in
a
visually
opaque,
acoustically and
electrically shielded, double-walled
steel room about
7 m from the sender.
The
details of the
experiment,
consisting of seven runs of thirty-six
10-s
trials
each (twelve periods each for 0-Hz, 6-Hz, and 16-Hz stimuli,
randomly intermixed), are presented in [4).
This experiment
5 Hz
10 Hz
15 Hz
Fig. 2.
Occipital EEG frequency spectra, 0-20 Hz, of one subject (H.H.)
acting as receiver showing amplitude changes in the 9-1 1-Hz band as a
function of strobe frequency.
Three cases:
0-, 6-, and 16-Hz flashes
(twelve trial averages).
results
were
produced
by
system
artifacts,
electromagnetic
pickup (EMI), or subtle cueing; the results were negative [4].
As part of the experimental protocol, the subject was asked
to indicate a conscious assessment for each trial (via telegraph
key)
as to the nature of the stimulus; analysis showed these
guesses to be at chance. Thus arousal as evidenced by signifi-
cant alpha blocking occurred only at the noncognitive level of
physiological response.
Hence the experiment provided direct
physiological (EEG) evidence of perception of remote stimuli
even in the absence of overt cognitive response.
Whereas in our experiments we used a remote light flash as a
stimulus,
Tart
[48]
in
his work used an electrical shock to
himself as sender, and Lloyd
[49] simply told the sender to
think
of
a red
triangle each time
a
red warning
light was
illuminated
within
his
view.
Lloyd
observed
a
consistent
evoked potential
in
his subjects; whereas in our experiments
and
in Tart’s,
a reduction in amplitude and a desynchroniza-
tion of alpha was observed—an arousal response.
(If a subject
is
resting
in
an
alpha-dominant
condition
and
he
is then
stimulated, for example in any direct manner, one will observe
a desynchronization and decrease
in alpha power.)
We con-
sider that these combined results are evidence for the existence
of noncognitive awareness of remote happenings and that they
have a profound implication for paranormal research.
III. SRI Investigations of Remote Viewing
Experimentation
in
remote
viewing
began
during
studies
carried out to investigate the
abilities of a New York artist,
Ingo Swann, when he expressed the opinion that the insights
gained during experiments at SRI had strengthened his ability
(verified
in other research before he joined the SRI program)
to view remote
locations
[54],
To
test Mr. Swann’s
asser-
tion, a pilot study was set up in which a series of targets from
around the globe were supplied by SRI personnel to the ex-
perimenters on
a
double-blind. basis.
Mr. Swann’s apparent
proved to be successful. The receiver’s alpha activity (9-1 1 Hz)
ability
to
describe
correctly
details
of
buildings,
roads,
showed a significant reduction in average power (-24 percent,
bridges,
and
the
like
indicated
that
it may
be possible
for
P < 0.04) and
peak power (-28
percent, p < 0.03)
during
a subject by means of mental imagery to access and describe
16-Hz
flash
stimuli
as
compared
with
periods
of no-flash
randomly
chosen
geographical
sites
located
several
miles
stimulus.
[A similar response was observed
for 6-Hz stimuli
from
the subject’s position and demarcated by some appro-
(-12 percent in average power, -21
percent in peak power),
priate
means.
Therefore, we
set up a research program to
but
the
latter
result
did
not
reach
statistical
significance.]
test
the remote-viewing hypothesis under
rigidly
controlled
Fig. 2 shows an overlay of three averaged EEG spectra from
scientific conditions.
one of the
subject’s 36
trial
runs, displaying differences in
In carrying out this program, we concentrated on what we
alpha activity durij^lJ^J^ej ^^|§^ti2OQ3^f^i]gveciAiRBP^-t0d7:8W(P0
iO7®0
1O
I7SOOt1il9lity-to resolve under
control
procedures
were
undertaken
to determine
if
these
unambiguous conditions the basic issue of whether or not this
335
PUTHOFF AND
<Rg|tja§fe ^»!®9mvT©IATOE>Pt6i00787R000700070001 -9
class
of paranormal perception phenomenon
exists.
At
all
times, we and others responsible for the overall program took
measures to prevent sensory leakage and subliminal cueing and
to
prevent deception, whether intentional
or unintentional.
To ensure
evaluations independent of belief structures of both
experimenters and judges,
all
experiments were
carried out
under a protocol, described below, in which target selection at
the beginning of experiments and blind judging of results at
the end
of experiments were handled independently of the
researchers engaged in carrying out the experiments.
Six subjects, designated SI through S6, were chosen for the
study. Three were considered as gifted or experienced subjects
(SI
through S3), and three were considered
as iearners (S4
through
S6).
The a
priori dichotomy between
gifted and
learners
was
based
on
the
experienced group
having been
successful
in
other
studies
conducted
before
this program
and
the
learners group
being inexperienced
with
regard
to
paranormal experimentation.
The study
consisted of a series of double-blind
tests with
local targets in the San Francisco Bay Area so that several in-
dependent judges could visit the sites to establish documenta-
tion.
The protocol was to closet the subject with an experi-
menter at SRI and
at an agreed-on time to obtain from the
subject
a
description
of
an
undisclosed
remote
site
being
visited by a
target team.
In each of the experiments, one of
the
six
program
subjects
served
as remote-viewing
subject,
and SRI experimenters served as a target demarcation team at
the
remote
location
chosen
in
a
double-blind
protocol
as
follows.
In
each
experiment,
SRI management randomly
chose
a
target location from a
list of targets within a 30-min driving
time from SRI; the target location selected was kept blind to
subject and experimenters.
The target pool consisted of more
than
100 target locations chosen from a target-rich environ-
ment.
(Before the experimental series began, the Director of
the Information Science and Engineering Division, not other-
wise associated with the experiment, established the set of lo-
cations as the target pool which remained known only to him.
The target locations were printed on cards sealed in envelopes
and kept in the SRI Division office safe.
They were available
only with the personal assistance of the Division Director who
issued
a single random-number selected
target card that con-
stituted the traveling orders for that experiment.)
In detail: To begin the experiment, the subject was closeted
with an experimenter at SRI to wait 30 min before beginning
tion period, the remote-viewing subject was asked to describe
his impressions of the target
site into a tape recorder and to
make any drawings he thought appropriate. An informal com-
parison was then made when the demarcation team returned,
and the subject was taken to the site to provide feedback.
A.
Subject SI : Experienced
To begin the series, Pat Price, a former California police com-
missioner and
city
councilman,
participated
as a subject in
nine
experiments.
In
general,
Price’s
ability
to
describe
correctly buildings, docks, roads, gardens, and the like, includ-
ing
structural materials,
color, ambience, and activity—often
in
great
detail—indicated
the
functioning
of
a remote
per-
ceptual
ability.
A Hoover Tower
target,
for example, was
recognized and named by name.
Nonetheless, in general, the
descriptions contained
inaccuracies
as
well
as
correct
state-
ments. A typical example is indicated by the subject’s drawing
shown
in
Fig.
in which he correctly described
a park-like
area
containing two pools of water: one rectangular, 60 by
ft
(actual dimensions 75 by 100
ft); the other
circular,
diameter 120 ft (actual diameter 110 ft). He incorrectly indi-
cated
the
function, however, as water filtration rather than
recreational swimming.
(We often observe essentially correct
descriptions of basic elements and patterns coupled with in-
complete or erroneous analysis of function.)
As can be seen
from
his
drawing, he
also included some elements, such as
the tanks shown in the upper right, that are not present at the
target site. We also note an apparent left-right reversal, often
observed in paranormal perception experiments.
To
obtain
a numerical
evaluation of the
accuracy of the
remote-viewing
experiment,
the
experimental
results
were
subjected to independent judging on a blind basis by an SRI
research
analyst not
otherwise associated with the research.
The
subject’s
response
packets,
which
contained
the
nine
typed
unedited
transcripts
of
the
tape-recorded
narratives
along with any associated drawings, were unlabeled and pre-
sented in random
order.
While standing at each target loca-
tion, visited in turn; the judge was required to blind rank order
the nine packets on a scale
1 to 9 (best to worst match). The
statistic of interest is the sum of ranks assigned to the target-
associated
transcripts, lower values indicating better matches.
For nine targets, the sum of ranks could range from nine to
eighty-one.
The probability that a given sum of ranks s or
less will occur by chance is given by [55]
a narrative description of the remote location. A second ex-
perimenter then obtained from the Division Director a target
location from a set of traveling orders previously prepared and
randomized by the Director and kept under his control.
The
target demarcation team, consisting of two to four SRI experi-
menters, then proceeded by automobile directly to the target
without any communication with the subject or experimenter
remaining behind.
The experimenter remaining with the sub-
ject at SRI was kept ignorant of both the particular target and
the
target pool
so
as
to
eliminate the possibility of cueing
(overt or subliminal) and to allow him freedom in questioning
the subject to clarify his descriptions.
The demarcation team
remained
at
the
target
site
for an agreed-on 15-min period
following the, 30 min allotted for travel.4
During the observa-
Pr (s or less) =
£ £
(-1)'
™
i=n
1=0
where
s
is obtained sum of ranks, N is number of assignable
ranks, n is number of occasions on which rankings were made,
and
/ takes on values from zero to the least positive integer k
in
(i - n)/n.
(Table
I
is a table to enable easy application of
the above formula to those cases in which N = n.) The sum in
this case, which included seven direct hits out of the nine, was
(see Table
II),
a
result
significant
at p= 2.9 X 10”5
by
exact calculation.
In Experiments
3, 4, and 6 through 9, the subject was se-
cured
in
a double-walled
copper-screen Faraday
cage.
The
Faraday
cage
provides
120-dB
attenuation
for plane-wave
4 The
first subject (Si) was allowed 30 min for his descriptions, but
it was found that he fatigued and had
little comment after the first
min.
The viewing time was therefore reduced to IS min for subjects
S 2 through S6.
Approved For Release 2003/09/T0
:
radio-frequency radiation over a range of 15 kHz to
1 GHz.
For magnetic
fields, the attenuation
is 68 dB at 15 kHz and
decreases to 3 dB at 60 Hz.
The results of rank order judging
QttbR[^&Q&m7E&0Qp(W(#(*^day
cage
electrical
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Fig. 3. Swimming pool complex as remote-viewing target,
(a) City map of target location,
(b) Drawing by Price (SI).
TABLE
I
Critical Values of Sums of Ranks for Preferential Matching
Number
of
Assignable
Ranks
(N)
Probabilit y
(one -tailed)
that
the
Indicated
Sum of Ranks
or
Leas Would Occur by Chance
0.20
0.10
0.05
0.04
0.025
0.01
0.005
0.002
0.001
0.0005
10-4
10'6
10- 6
lo-’
It
Note: This table applies only to those special cases in which the number of occasions on which objects
are being ranked
(n)
is equal to the number of assignable ranks (N).
Each entry represents the largest
number that is significant at the indicated p-level. Source: R. L. Morris [55]
.
shielding does not prevent high-quality descriptions from being
obtained.
As
a backup judging procedure, a panel of five additional
SRI scientists not otherwise associated with the research were
asked simply
to blind match the unedited typed
transcripts
(with
associated drawings)
generated by
the remote viewer
against
the
nine
target
locations which they independently
visited in turn.
The transcripts were unlabeled and presented
in random order.
A correct match consisted of a transcript
of a given date being matched to the target of that date.
In-
stead of the expected number of
1 match each per judge, the
number of correct matches obtained by the five judges was 7,
6,
5,
3, and
3, respectively.
Thus, rather than the expected
total number of 5 correct matches
fro:
matches were obtaiiftfiProvecr For ReTeasi
B.
Subject S4: Learner
This experiment was designed to be a replication of our pre-
vious experiment with Price, the
first replication attempted.
The
subject
for
this experiment was Mrs. Hella Hammid,
a
gifted
professional photographer.
She was selected
for this
series on
the
basis of her
successful performance
as a per-
cipient in the EEG experiment described earlier.
Outside of
that interaction, she had no previous experience with apparent
paranormal functioning.
At the time we began working with Mrs. Hammid, she had
no strong feelings about the likelihood of her ability to suc-
ceed
in
this task.
This was in contrast to both Ingo Swann
who had come
to our laboratory fresh from a lengthy and
PUTHOFF AND TAtOcppfWj^ffiClTPof, l§8tea«£ K>e3/Q9M0A*BJA-1^R9&<)O787ROOO7OOO7OOO1 -9
337
PEDESTRIAN OVERPASS TARGET
Fig. 4.
Subject Hammid (S4) drawing, described as “some kind of diagonal trough up in the air.’’
TABLE
II
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Transcripts
Associated with Each Target Location for Experienced
Subject Price (SI)
Target Location
Distance
(km)
Rank
of
Associated
Transcript
Hoover Tower,
Stanford
3.4
Baylands Nature
Preserve,
Palo Alto
6.4
l
Radio telescope,
Portola Valley
6.4
Harlna,
Redwood City
6.8
l
Bridge
toll plaza,
Fremont
14.5
Drive-in theater,
Palo Alto
5.1
Arts and Crafts
Plaza,
Menlo Park
1 .9
Catholic Church,
Portola
Valley
8.5
Switmiing pool complex,
Palo Alto
3.4
Total
sum of
ranks
(pt2.
x 10-b
)
who
felt that he used his remote-viewing ability in his every-
day life.
In comparison with the
latter two, many people are more
influenced
by
their
environment
and
are
reluctant
under
public scrutiny to attempt activities that are generally thought
to be impossible.
Society often provides inhibition and nega-
tive
feedback
to
the
individual who might
otherwise have
explored
his own nonregular perceptual ability. We
all share
an
historical
tradition of “the stoning of prophets and the
burning of witches” and, in more modem times, the hospitaliza-
tion of those who
Cl
not
admit
to
seeing; rTherefore, in addition to maintaining
scientific
rigor, one of our primary
tasks as researchers
is to
provide
an environment
in which
the
subject
feels safe
to
explore the possibility of paranormal perception.
With a new
subject, we also try to stress the nonuniqueness of the ability
because from our experience paranormal functioning appears
to be
a latent
ability
that
all subjects can articulate to some
degree.
Because of Mrs. Hammid’s
artistic background, she was ca-
pable of drawing and
describing visual images that she could
not identify in any cognitive or analytic sense. When the target
demarcation
team
went
to
a
target
location which was a
pedestrian overpass, the subject
said
that she saw “a kind of
trough up
in the air,” which she indicated in the upper part
of her drawing in
Fig.
4.
She went on to explain, “If you
stand
where
they
are
standing you
will
see something like
this,” indicating the nested squares at the bottom of Fig. 4.
As
it turned out, a judge standing where she indicated would
have a view closely resembling what she had drawn, as can be
seen from the accompanying photographs of the target loca-
tion.
It needs to be emphasized, however, that judges did not
have
access
to our photographs of the
site, used
here
for
illustrative purposes only, but rather they proceeded to each
of the target locations by list.
In
another
experiment,
the
subject
described
seeing “an
open bamlike structure with a pitched roof.”
She
also saw
a “kind of slatted side to the structure making light and dark
bars on
the
wall.”
Her drawing and
a photograph of the
associated bicycle shed target are shown in Fig. 5.
(Subjects
are encouraged to make drawings of anything they visualize
and associate with the remote location because drawings they
description.)
As in the original
series with Price, the results of the nine-
338
BICYCLE SHED TARGET
DETAIL OF BICYCLE SHED
Fig. 5.
Subject Hammid (S4) response to bicycle shed target described as an open "barn-like building” with “slats
on the sides” and a “pitched roof.”
TABLE III
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Transcripts Associated
with Each Target Location for Learner Subject Hammid (S4)
Target
Location
Distance
(km)
Rank of
Associated
Transcript
Methodist Church,
Palo Alto
1.9
Ness Auditorium,
Menlo
Park
0.2
Merry-go-round,
Palo Alto
3.4
Parking
garage,
Mountain
View
8.1
SRI
International Courtyard,
Menlo
Park
0.2
Bicycle
ahed,
Menlo
Park
0.1
Railroad
trestle bridge,
Palo Alto
1.3
Pumpkin
patch, Menlo Park
1.3
Pedestrian overpass,
Palo Alto
5.0
Total
sum
of
ranks
(p-l.BxlO'*)
experiment series were submitted for independent judging on
a blind basis by an SRI research analyst not otherwise associ-
ated with the research.
While at each target location, visited
in turn, the judge was required to blind rank order the nine
unedited
typed manuscripts of the tape-recorded
narratives,
along with any associated drawings generated by the remote
viewer, on a scale
1 to 9 (best to worst match).
The sum of
ranks assigned to the target-associated transcripts in this case
was
13, a result significant at p = 1.8 X 10-6 by exact calcula-
tion (see Table
I and discussion), and included five direct hits
Again,
as a backup judging procedure, a panel of five addi-
tional
judges
not
otherwise
associated
with
the
research
were
asked
simply to blind match the unedited typed
tran-
scripts and associated drawings generated by the remote viewer,
against
the nine
target
locations which they independently
visited
in
turn.
A correct match consisted of a transcript of
a
given
date
being matched to the
target of that
date.'
In-
stead
of the
expected number of
match
each per judge,
the number of
correct matches obtained by the
five judges
was
5, 3, 3, 2, and
2, respectively.
Thus, rather than the ex-
pected
total number of 5 correct matches from
the judges,
15 such matches were obtained.
C.
Subjects S2 and S3: Experienced
Having completed a series of
1 8 remote-viewing experiments,
each
with
experienced
subject S
(Price) and learner S4
(Hammid), additional replication experiments, four with each
subject, were carried out with experienced subjects S2 (Elgin)
and S3 (Swann) and learners S5 and S6. To place the judging
on
a basis comparable to that used with S 1 and S4, the four
transcripts each of experienced subjects S2 and S3 were com-
bined into a group of eight for rank order judging to be com-
pared
with
the
similarly combined
results
of
the
learners
S5 and S6.
The series with S2 (Elgin, an SRI research analyst) provided
a further example of the dichotomy between verbal and draw-
ing responses.
(As with medical literature, case histories often
are more illuminating than the summary of results.)
The ex-
and four second ranlA|S)fftt^g®.For Release 2003/09/10
: ®WrRISPSedlO>?871ROO&'7iOOQ^OO©(1 -Sonducted with
this
Fig. 6.
Subject Elgin (S2) drawings in response to tennis court target.
subject.
It was a demonstration experiment for a government
visitor who had heard of our work and wanted to evaluate our
experimental protocol.
In the laboratory, the subject, holding a bearing compass at
arm’s length, began the experiment by indicating the direction
of the target demarcation team correctly to within 5°.
(In all
four experiments with this subject, he has always been within
10° of the correct direction in this angular assessment.)
The
subject then generated a 15-min tape-recorded description and
the drawings shown in Fig. 6.
In
discussing
the
drawings,
Elgin
indicated
that
he
was
uncertain
as
to the action, but had the impression that the
demarcation team was located
at a museum (known to him)
in a particular park.
In fact, the target was a tennis court lo-
cated in that park about 90 m from the indicated museum.
Once again, we note the characteristic (discussed earlier) of a
resemblance between the
target
site
and
certain gestalt
ele-
ments of the
subject’s response,
especially
in regard to the
drawings, coupled
with incomplete or erroneous analysis of
the significances.
Nonetheless, when rank ordering transcripts
1 through 8 at the site, the judge ranked this transcript as 2.
This example illustrates a continuing observation that most of
the conect information related to us by subjects is of a non-
analytic nature pertaining to shape, form, color, and material
rather than to function or name.
A second example from this group, generated by S3 (Swann),
indicates the
level of proficiency that can be attained with
practice.
In the two years since we first started working with
Swann, he has bee^RiarpiMf
Qx-
ternal
signal
from
the
internal
noise.
In
our most
recent
experiments, he dictates two
lists for us to record. One list
contains objects that he “sees,” but does not think are located
at the remote scene.
A second
list contains objects that he
thinks are at the scene.
In our evaluation, he has made much
progress
in
this
most
essential
ability
to
separate memory
and imagination from paranormal inputs.
This
is the key to
bringing the remote-viewing channel to fruition with regard to
its potential usefulness.
The quality of transcript that can be generated by this pro-
cess is evident from the results of our most recent experiment
with Swann.
The target location chosen by the usual double-
blind protocol was the Palo Alto City Hall. Swann described a
tall building with vertical columns and “set in” windows.
His
sketch, together with the photograph of the
site,
is shown in
Fig.
7.
He said
there was
a fountain, “but
I don’t hear it.”
At the time the target team was
at the City Hall during the
experiment, the fountain was not running.
He also made an
effort to draw a replica of the designs in the pavement in front
of the building, and correctly indicated the number of trees
(four) in the sketch.
For the entire series of eight, four each from S2 and S3, the
numerical
evaluation ‘based on
blind
rank
ordering of tran-
scripts
at each
site was significant at p = 3.8 X 10
-4
and
in-
cluded three direct hits and three second ranks for the target-
associated transcripts (see Table IV).
D.
Subjects S5 and S6: Learners
To complete the series, four experiments each were carried
C IArRQfft9l6a0ft7
JflQ0J 0@,Gi1rrfim and woman on the
SRI
professional
staff.
The
results in
this case, taken
as
a
340
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Fig. 7. Subject Swann (S3) response to City Hall target.
TABLE IV
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Transcripts Associated
with Each Targbt Location for Experienced Subjects Elgin (S2)
and Swann (S3)
Tarast Location
Diatance
(km)
Rank of
Associated
Transcript
S2
BART Station {Transit
System),
Fremont
16.1
S2
Shielded
room,
SRI, Menlo Park
0.1
S2
Tennis
court,
Palo Alto
3.
A
S2
Golf course bridge,
Stanford
3,4
S3
City Hall,
Palo Alto
2.0
S3
Miniature golf courae,
Menlo Park
3.0
S3
Kiosk
In park, Menlo Park
0.3
S3
Baylands Nature
Preserve,
Palo Alto
6.4
Total
turn
of
ranks
(p.3.8xl<r‘)
TABLE V
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Transcripts Associated
with Each Target Location for Learner Subjects S5 and S6
TarRet Location
Distance
(km)
Rank
of
Associated
Transcript
S3
Pedestrian overpass,
Palo Alto
5.0
S5
Railroad
trestle
bridge,
Palo Alto
1.3
S5
Windmill,
Portola
Valley
8.5
S5,
S6
White
Plaza,
Stanford
(2)
3.8
S6
Airport,
Palo Alto
5.5
S6
Kloek
In
Park,
Menlo
Park
0.3
Boathouse,
Stanford
Total
sum of
ranks
4.0
(p-0.08,
NS)
vious experience in remote viewing, began to describe a large
square with a fountain.
Four minutes into the experiment,
she recognized the location and correctly identified it by name
(see Fig.
8).
(It should be noted that in the area from which
the
target
locations
were
drawn
there
are
other
fountains
as well, some of which were in the target pool.)
As an ex-
ample of the style of the narratives generated during remote
viewing with inexperienced subjects and of the part played by
the experimenter remaining with the subject in such a case,
we have included the entire unedited text of this experiment
as Appendix B.
E. Normal and Paranormal: Use of Unselected Subjects in
Remote Viewing
group, did not differ significantly from chance. For the series
of eight (judged as a group of seven since one target came up
twice, once for each subject), the numerical evaluation based
on
blind
rank
ordering of
transcripts
at each
site was non-
significant at p = 0.08, even though there were two direct hits
and two second ranks out of the seven (see Table V).
One of the direct hits, which occurred with subject S6 in her
first experiment, provides an example of the “first-time effect”
that has been rigorously explored and is well-known to experi-
menters
in
the
field
[57].
The
outbound
experimenter
obtained, by random protocol from the pool, a target blind
to the experimenter with the subject; as is our standard pro-
cedure, and proceeded to the location.
The subject ua mathe-
After more than a year of following the experimental pro-
tocol described above and observing that even inexperienced
subjects generated results better than expected, we initiated a
series of experiments to explore further whether individuals
other than putative “psychics” can demonstrate the remote-
viewing ability.
To
test
this idea, we have a continuing pro-
gram to carry out additional experiments of the outdoor type
with new subjects whom we have no a priori reason to believe
have paranormal perceptual ability. To date we have collected
data from
five experiments with two individuals in this cate-
gory:
a man
and
a woman who were
visiting government
scientists interested in observing our experimental protocols.
The motivation for these particular experiments was twofold.
First, the experiments provide data that indicate the level of
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PUTHOFF AND TARG: PERCEPTUAL CHANNEL FOR INFORMATION TRANSFER
341
Fig. 8. Subject (S6) drawing of White Plaza, Stanford University. Sub-
ject drew what she called “curvy benches” and then announced cor-
rectly that the place was “White Plaza at Stanford.”
Second, when an individual observes a successful demonstra-
tion experiment involving another person as subject,
it inevi-
tably occurs to him that perhaps chicanery
is involved.
We
have found the most effective way to settle this issue for the
observer is to have the individual himself act as a subject so as
to
obtain
personal
experience
against
which
our
reported
results can be evaluated.
The
first visitor (VI) was invited to participate as a subject
in a three-experiment series.
All three experiments contained
elements
descriptive
of the
associated
target
locations; the
quality
of response increased with
practice.
The
third
re-
sponse
is shown in Fig. 9, where again the pattern elements in
the drawing appeared to be a closer match than the subject’s
analytic interpretaAp^B^UftCtf^NE
26$k3409/10
: CIA-RDRfl^-d)ft78j7(R0fl97QOft79flQe1r9go-round target.
RESPONSES OF VISITING
SCIENTIST SUBJECT
342
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TECHNOLOGY SERIES
TYPEWRITER TARGET
uA>
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4 ym. extent
SUBJECT SWANN
(S3) RESPONSE
SUBJECT HAMM ID
(S4) RESPONSE
Fig. 10. Drawings of a typewriter target by two subjects.
The second visitor [V2]
participated as a subject in two ex-
periments.
In
his
first experiment, he generated one of the
higher
signal-to-noise
results we have
observed.
He began
his narrative, ‘There
is a red A-frame building and next to
it
is
a
large yellow
thing
[a
tree—Editor]
.
Now
further left
there
is another A-shape.
It looks like a swing-set, but it is
pushed down in a gully so
I can’t see the swings.”
[All cor-
rect.]
He then went on to describe a lock on the front door
that he
said
“looks
like
it’s made
of laminated
steel, so
it
must be a Master lock.”
[Also correct.]
For the series of five—three from the first subject and two
from
the second—the
numerical
evaluation
based on
blind
rank ordering of the transcripts at each site was significant at
p = 0.017 and included three direct hits and one second rank
for the target-associated transcripts. (See Table VI.)
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:
TABLE VI
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Transcripts Associated with
Each Target Location for Visitor Subjects VI and V2
Sub lect
Target
Location
Distance
Oasl
Rank of
Associated
Transcript
VI
Bridge over stream,
Menlo Park
0.3
VI
Bay landi Nature Preserve,
Palo Alto
6.4
VI
Merry-go-round,
Palo Alto
3.4
V2
Windmill,
Portola Valley
8.5
V2
Apartment
switaalng pool, Mountain
View
9.1
Total
sum of ranks
(p«c0, 017)
-RDP96-00787R000700070001 -9
PUTHOFF AND TARG
00787R000700070001-9
343
TARGET LOCATION:
XEROX MACHINE
(TECHNOLOGY SERIES)
TO ADD INTEREST TO TARGET
LOCATION EXPERIMENTER WITH
HIS HEAD BEING XEROXED
£73
Fig.
1 1
.
Drawings by three subjects (S2
, S3, and V3) for Xerox machine target. When asked to describe the square at upper left of response on
the right, subject (V3) said, "There was this predominant light source which might have been a window, and a working surface which might have
been the
silt, or a working surface or desk.”
Earlier the subject had said, "I have the feeling that there
is something silhouetted against the
window.”
Observations
with
unselected
subjects
such
as
those
de-
scribed above indicate that remote viewing may be a latent and
widely distributed perceptual ability.
F.
Technology Series: Short-Range Remote Viewing
Because remote viewing
is
a perceptual
ability, we consid-
ered
it important to obtain data on its resolution capabilities.
To accomplish
this, we turned to the use of indoor techno-
logical targets.
Twelve experiments were carried out with five different sub-
jects, two of whom were visiting government scientists. They
were
told
that one
of the experimenters would be
sent by
random protocol to a laboratory within the SRI complex and
that he would
interact with the equipment or apparatus
at
that location.
It was further explained that the experimenter
remaining with the subject was, as usual, kept ignorant of the
contents of the target pool to prevent cueing during question-
ing.
(Unknown to subjects, targets in the pool were used with
replacement; one of the goals of this particular experiment was
to
obtain multiple responses to a given target to investigate
whether correlation of a number of subject responses would
provide enhancement of the signal-to-noise
ratio.)
The sub-
ject
was
asked
to
describe
the
target
both
verbally
(tape
recorded) and by means of drawings during a time-synchronized
15 -min
interval
in which
the outbound experimenter inter-
acted
in an appropriate manner with the equipment in the
target area.
In the twelve experiments, seven
targets were used:
a
drill
press, Xerox
machine, video
terminal,
chart
recorder,
four-
state random number
generator,
machine
shop,
and
type-
writer.
Three
of these were used
twice
(drill
press, video
terminal, and typewriter) and one (Xerox machine) came up
three times in our A^ptraueildcEaff ftetedise 2003/09/10
:
Comparisons of the targets and subject drawings for three of
the
multiple-response
cases (the typewriter, Xerox machine,
and video terminal) are shown in Figs.
10, 11, and
12.
As is
apparent
from
these
illustrations
alone,
the
experiments
provide
circumstantial
evidence
for
an
information channel
of useful
bit
rate.
This includes experiments
in which visit-
ing
government
scientists
participated
as
subjects
(Xerox
machine
and
video
terminal)
to observe
the
protocol.
In
general,
it appears that use of multiple-subject responses to a
single
target
provides
better signal-to-noise ratio than target
identification by a single individual.
This conclusion is borne
out by the judging described below.
Given
that
in
general
the
drawings
constitute
the most
accurate portion of a subject’s description, in the first judging
procedure a judge was asked simply to blind match only the
drawings (i.e., without tape transcripts) to the targets. Multiple-
subject responses to a given target were stapled together, and
thus
seven
subject-drawing
response
packets
were
to
be
matched to the seven different targets for which drawings were
made.
The judge did not have access to our photographs of
the
target locations, used for illustration purposes only, but
rather proceeded to each of the target locations by list. While
standing at each target location, the judge was required to rank
order the seven subject-drawing response packets (presented in
random order) on a scale
1 to 7 (best to worst match).
For
seven targets, the sum of ranks could range from 7 to 49. The
sum
in
this
case, which included
direct hit and 4 second
ranks out of the 7 (see Table VII) was
18, a result significant
at p = 0.036.
In the second more detailed effort
at evaluation, a visiting
scientist selected
at random one of the
12 data packages (a
drill press experiment), sight unseen and submitted
it for in-
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TARGET:
VIDEO MONITOR FOR TEXT EDITING (TECHNOLOGY SERIES)
dj—
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nk
Fig. 12.
Drawing by two subjects of a video monitor target,
(a) Subject (S4) drawing of “box with light coming out of it
.
.
. painted flat black
and in the middle of the room.”
(b) Second subject (V2) saw a computer terminal with relay racks in the background.
TABLE VII
Distribution of Rankings Assigned to Subject
Drawings Associated with Each Target Location
Subject
Target
Rank
of
Associated
Drawings
S3,
S4
Drill press
S2,
S3,
V3
Xerox machine
S4,
V2
Video
terminal
S3
Chart recorder
S4
Random number generator
S4
Machine
shop
S3,
S4
Typewriter
Total
sum of rank#
(p-0.036)
mate as to what was being described. The analyst, blind as to
the
target and
given only
the
subject’s taped
narrative and
drawing
(Fig.
13), was
able, from
the
subject’s description
alone, to correctly classify the target as a “man-sized vertical
boring machine.”
G. Summary ofRemote Viewing Results
1) Discussion:
The. descriptions supplied
by
the
subjects
in the experiments involving remote viewing of natural targets
or
laboratory
apparatus,
although
containing
inaccuracies,
were sufficiently accurate to permit the judges to differentiate
TABLE VIII
Summary: Remote Viewing
Subject
Number of
Experiments
With natural
targetB
2.9
x
10*5
SI
(experienced)
S2
and
S3
(experienced)
3.8
x
„
-6
S4
(learner)
1.8
X
SS and
S6
(learners)
0.08
(NS)
Vl
and
V2
( learnera/vlsltors)
With
technology
targets
0.017
52,
S3,
S4,
V2,
V3
0.036
tabulation of the
statistical evaluations of these fifty-one ex-
periments with nine subjects is presented in Table VIII.
The
overall
result,
evaluated
conservatively
on
the
basis
of
a
judging procedure that ignores transcript quality beyond that
necessary to rank order the data packets (vastly underestimat-
ing
the
statistical
significance
of
individual
descriptions),
clearly
indicates the
presence
of an information channel of
useful
bit
rate.
Furthermore,
it
appears
that the principal
difference
between
experienced
subjects and
inexperienced
volunteers is not that the latter never exhibit the faculty, but
rather that their results are simply less reliable, more sporadic.
Nevertheless,
as described
earlier, individual
transcripts from
the inexperienced group of subjects number among some of
the
best
obtained.
Such observations indicate
a hypothesis
that remote viewing may be a latent and widely
distributed
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34S
Fig. 13.
Subject (S4) drawing of
drill
press showing belt drive, stool,
and a “vertical graph that goes up and down.”
Thus the primary achievement of the SRI program was the
elicitation
of
high-quality
remote
viewing from
individuals
who agreed to
act as subjects.
Criticism of this claim could
in
principle be put forward on the
basis of three potential
flaws.
1) The study could involve naivete
in protocol that
permits various forms of cueing, intentional or unintentional.
2) The experiments discussed could be selected out of a larger
pool of experiments of which many
are of poorer quality.
3) Data for the reported experiments could be edited to show
only the matching elements, the nonmatching elements being
discarded.
All three criticisms, however, are invalid.
First, with regard
to cueing, the use of double-blind protocols ensures that none
of the persons in contact with the subject can be aware of the
target.
Second, selection of experiments for reporting did not
take place; every experiment was entered
as performed on a
master log and is included in the statistical evaluations.
Third,
data associated with a given experiment remain unedited; all
experiments are tape recorded and
all data are included un-
edited in the data package to be judged and evaluated.
Approved For Release 2003/09/10
In the process of judging-attempting to match transcripts
against
targets
on
the
basis
of
the
information
in
the
transcripts—some
patterns
and
regularities
in
the
transcript
descriptions became evident, particularly regarding individual
styles
in remote viewing and
in the perceptual form of the
descriptions
given by
the
subjects.
These patterns and the
judging procedure are discussed below,
a)
Styles
of
response:
The
fifty-one
transcripts
.were
taken
from
nine
different
subjects.
Comparing
the
tran-
scripts of one subject with those of another revealed that each
pattern
tended
to
focus on
certain
aspects of the remote
target complex and
to exclude others, so that each had an
individual pattern of response, like a signature.
Subject
S3,
for example,
frequently responded with topo-
graphical descriptions, maps, and architectural features of the
target locations.
Subject S2 often focused on the behavior of
the remote experimenter or the sequence of actions he carried
out
at the
target.
The transcripts of subject S4, more than
those of other subjects, had descriptions of the feel of the lo-
cation,
and
experiential
or
sensory
gestalts-for
example,
light/dark
elements
in
the
scene
and
indoor/outdoor
and
enclosed/open distinctions.
Prominent features of Si’s tran-
scripts were detailed
descriptions of what the target persons
were concretely experiencing, seeing, or doing-for example,
standing on asphalty blacktop overlooking water; looking
at
a purple iris.
The
range
of any individual subject’s responses was wide.
Anyone might draw a map or describe the mood of the remote
experimenter,
but
the
consistency
of each
subject’s
overall
approach
suggests
that
just
as
individual
descriptions of
a
directly viewed scene would
differ, so these differences also
occur in remote-viewing processes.
b) Nature of the description:
The concrete descriptions
that appear most commonly
in transcripts are at the level of
subunits of the overall scene.
For example, when the target
was
a Xerox copy machine,
the
responses included
(S2)
a
rolling object (the moving
light) or dials and
a cover that
is
lifted (S3), but the machine as a whole was not identified by
name or function.
In
a few
transcripts, the
subjects correctly identified and
named
the
target.
In the case of a computer terminal, the
subject (V2) apparently perceived the terminal and the relay
racks behind
it.
In
the case of targets which were Hoover
Tower and White Plaza, the subjects (SI and S6, respectively)
seemed
to
identify
the
locations through
analysis of
their
initial images of the elements of the target.
There were also occasional incorrect identifications.
Gestalts
were
incorrectly named; for example, swimming pools in a
park were identified as water storage tanks at a water filtration
plant (SI).
The most common perceptual level was thus an intermediate
one-the individual elements and items that make up the tar-,
get.
This
is suggestive of a scanning process that takes sample
perceptions from within the overall environment.
When the subjects tried to make sense out of these fragmen-
tary
impressions, they
often
resorted
to metaphors or con-
structed an image with a kind of perceptual inference.
From
a feeling of the target as an “august” and “solemn” building,
a subject (S4)
said
it might be a library; it was a church. A
pedestrian overpass above a freeway was described as a conduit
(S4). A rapid transit station, elevated above the countryside,
was
associated
with
an
observatory
(S2).
These
responses
seem to be the result of attempts to process partial informa-
: CIA-RDP96-00787R000700070001 -9
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1976
tion:
similarly,
this occurs in other parapsychological experi-
ments. These observations are compatible with the hypotheses
that information received in a putative remote-viewing mode
is processed piecemeal in pattern form (consistent with a low
bit
rate
process,
but not
necessarily
requiring
it); and
the
errors
arise in the processes of attempted integration of the
data into larger patterns directed toward verbal labeling.
When
the
subjects augmented
the verbal
transcripts
with
drawings or sketches, these often expressed the target elements
more accurately than the verbal descriptions.
Thus the draw-
ings tended
to
correspond
to
the
targets more
clearly
and
precisely than the words of the transcript.
The descriptions given by the subjects sometimes went be-
yond what the remote experimenter experienced, at least con-
scioudy.
For example, one subject (S4) described and drew
a belt drive at the top of a drill press that was invisible even to
the
remote
experimenter who
was operating the machine;
another
subject
(SI)
described
a number of items
behind
shrubbery and thus not visible to members of the demarcation
team at the site.
Curiously, objects in motion at the remote site were rarely
mentioned in the transcript.
For example, trains crossing the
railroad
trestle target were not described, though the remote
experimenter stood very close to them.
Also in a few cases, the subject descriptions were inaccurate
regarding size of structures. A 20-ft courtyard separating two
buildings was described
as 200 ft wide, and a small shed was
expanded to a barn-like structure.
c)
Blind judging of transcripts:
The judging procedure
entailed examining
the
transcripts
for
a
given experimental
series and attempting to match the transcripts with the cor-
rect targets on the
basis of their correspondences.
The tran-
scripts varied from coherent and accurate descriptions to mix-
tures of correspondences and noncorrespondences.
Since the
judge did not know a priori which elements of the descriptions
were correct or incorrect, the task was complicated, and tran-
scripts often seemed plausibly to match more than one target.
A confounding factor in these studies
is that some target lo-
cations have
similarities .that seem alike at some level of per-
ception.
For example, a radio telescope at the top of a hill,
the observation deck of a tower, and a jetty on the edge of a
bay
all match a transcript description of “looking out over a
long distance." A lake, a fountain, and a creek may all result
in an image of water for the
subject.
Therefore, in
several
cases, even correct images may not help
in the conservative
differential matching procedure used.
According to the judge, the most successful procedure was a
careful element-by-element comparison that tested each tran-
script against every target and used the transcript descriptions
and drawings as arguments for or against assigning the
tran-
script
to a particular target.
In most
cases, this resulted
in
either a
clear conclusion
or
at
least
a ranking
of probable
matches;
these
matches
were
subjected
to
the
statistical
analyses presented in this paper.
2) Summary:
In summary, we do not yet have an under-
standing of the nature of the information-bearing signal that a
subject perceives during remote viewing.
The subjects com-
monly report that they perceive the signal visually as though
they were looking at the object or place from a position in its
immediate
neighborhood.
Furthermore,
the
subjects’
per-
ceptual viewpoint
has mobility
in
that
they can
shift
their
point of view so as to describe elements of a scene that would
not be visible to an observer merely standing at ground level
and describing what he
sees.
(In particular,
a subject often
correctly describes elements not visible to the target demarca-
tion
team.)
Finally,
motion
is
seldom
reported;
in
fact,
moving
objects
often
are
unseen
even when
nearby
static
objects are correctly identified.
A comparison of the results of remote viewing (a so-called
free-response task) with results of forced-choice tasks, such as
the selection of one of four choices generated by a random
number generator [58]
,
reveals the following findings. From a
statistical viewpoint, a subject
is more likely to describe, with
sufficient
accuracy
to
permit
blind matching,
a remote
site
chosen
at random than he
is to select correctly one of four
random numbers. Our experience with these phenomena leads
us to consider
that
this difference in task performance may
stem from
fundamental
signal-to-noise considerations.
Two
principal sources of noise in the system apparently are mem-
ory and imagination, both of which can give
rise to mental
pictures of greater clarity than the target to be perceived.
In
the random number task, a subject can create a perfect mental
picture of each of the four possible outputs in his own imagi-
nation and then attempt to obtain the correct answer by
a
mental matching operation. The same is true for card guessing
experiments. On the other hand, the subject in remote view-
ing
is apparently more
likely
to approach
the
task
with
a
blank mind
as he attempts to perceive pictorial information
from
remote
locations about which he may have no stored
mental data.
Finally, we
observe
that most
of the correct information
that subjects relate to us is of a nonanalytic nature pertaining
to shape, form, color, and material rather than to function or
name.
In consultation with Dr. Robert Ornstein of the Langley-
Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, San Francisco, CA, and with
Dr. Ralph Kiernan of the Department of Neurology, Stanford
University
Medical
Center,
Stanford,
CA, we have formed
the
tentative
hypothesis
that
paranormal
functioning may
involve
specialization
characteristic of the brain’s right hemi-
sphere.
This possibility
is derived from a variety of evidence
from clinical and neurosurgical sources which indicate that the
two hemispheres of the human brain are specialized
for dif-
ferent
cognitive functions.
The left hemisphere
is predomi-
nantly active in verbal and other analytical functioning and the
right hemisphere predominates
in
spatial and
other holistic
processing
[59],
[60].
Further
research
is
necessary
to
elucidate the relationship between right hemisphere function
and
paranormal
abilities.
Nonetheless, we
can
say
at
this
point that the remote-viewing results of the group of subjects
at
SRI have
characteristics
in common
with more
familiar
performances
that
require
right hemispheric
function.
The
similarities include the highly schematicized drawings of ob-
jects
in a room or of remote scenes.
Verbal identification of
these
drawings
is
often
highly
inaccurate and
the drawings
themselves
are
frequently
left-right
reversed
relative
to the
target
configuration.
Further, written material generally
is
not
cognized.
These
characteristics have been
seen
in
left
brain-injured patients and in callosal-sectioned patients.
As
a result of the above considerations, we have learned to
urge our subjects simply to describe what they see as opposed
to what they think they are looking at. We have learned that
their unanalyzed perceptions are almost always a better guide
to the true
target than
their interpretations of the perceived
data.
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