UNCLAS IFIED Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CTA- -00789R002200400001-3 second viewer in the example above, for instance, would receive a higher score because his/her response is more unique to the target pool.) The target pool dependent scoring algorithm is less applicable, however, as an independent absolute measure of target contact--a necessary condition for correlation studies. If we remove the within-group control to eliminate a source of variance for a correlation measurement that is potentially unrelated to psi ability, we are obligated to provide some other form of control to demonstrate a deviation from mean chance expectation. FIGURE OF MERIT ANALYSIS The Figure of Merit analysis (FMA) was developed to address the problems associated with correlation studies and to provide a novel form of control. ‘ Target Information As in the PEP, the Figure of Merit analysis quantifies the target material into binary numbers corresponding to yes/no answers to a set of descriptors. Our descriptor list was developed on the basis of the target material (National Geographic magazine photographs), and on the basis of responses that might be expected a priori for our novice remote viewers. Table 1 shows the 20 descriptors that were used for the photon production experiment (Hubbard, May, and Puthoff, 1985). The questions are strongly oriented toward outdoor gestalts, typical of National Geographic magazine material. The horizontal lines separating the descriptors into groups of three are provided as an aid for translating binary numbers (derived from the yes/no answers to the questions) into an octal shorthand notation. A self-consistency check is performed on each coded target, and a set of logically consistent rules must be developed for a given descriptor list. One such example for the list ‘(shown in Table 1) involves bits 13 and 14. While it is possible to have a land/water interface that is not a river, canal, or channel, the reverse (i.e. to have a river, canal, or channel without having a land/water interface) is not possible by definition. Thus, if a target analyst asserted bit 14 without asserting bit 13, we could consider this an error in coding and assert bit 13. It is beyond the scope of this paper to provide all the jogical consistency rules, but most of them are obvious from Table 1. Naturally, these rules must be defined in advance of any experimentation. UNCLASSIFIED Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200400001-3
Approved For Release 2ubB@idaA GS Hrlide00789R002200400001-3 Table 1 DESCRIPTOR-BIT DEFINITION Is any significant part of the scene hectic, chaotic, congested, or cluttered? Does a single major object or structure dominate the scene? Is the central focus or predominant ambience of the scene primarily natural rather than artificial or manmade? ' Do the effects of the weather appear to be a significant part of the scene? (e.g., as in the presence of snow or ice, evidence of erosion, etc.) Is the scene predominantly colorful, characterized by a profusion of color, by a strikingly contrasting combination of colors, or by outstanding, brightly- colored objects (e.g., flowers, stained-glass windows, etc.—-not normally blue sky, green grass, or usual building color)? Is a mountain, hill, or cliff, or a range of mountains, hills, oF cliffs a significant feature of the scene? + Is a volcano a significant part of the scene? Are buildings or other manmade structures a significant part of the scene? is a city a significant part of the scene? Is a town, village, or isolated settlernent or outpost a significant feature of the scene Are ruins a significant part of the scene? Is a large expanse of water—-s significant aspect of the scene pecifically an ocean, sea, gulf, lake, or bay—-a is a land/water interface a significant part of the scene? Is a river, canal, or channel a significant part of the scene? Is a waterfail a significant part of the scene? ls @ port or harbor a significant part of the scene? is an island a significant part of the scene? Is a swamp, jungle, marsh, or verdant or heavy foliage a significant part of the scene Is a flat aspect to the landscape a significant part of the scene? ls a desert a significant part of the scene, or is the scene predominately dry to the point of being arid? ASS UNCLASSIFIED Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDP96-00789R002200400001-3