STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Menlo Park, California 94025
U.S.A.
22 February
1973
TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM
A Progress Report
on Contract Number
1471 (S) 73
Prepared by:
Dr#
H.E. Puthoff
Mr. Russell Targ
Senior Research Physicists
Electronics
and Bioengineering Laboratory
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I
FIELD MEASUREMENTS PROGRAM,
TASKS
1,
2,
AND
A*
Introduction
Following
is
a summary of work carried out under Field
Measurements Contract
No.
1471(S)73,
Tasks
1,
2,
and
3.
Tasks
1 and
2 cover
a two-week field measurement program
(14-28 August
1972) with
consultant
Ingo Swann;
Task
3 covers
a nine-day field measurement
program within
the time period
1 December
1972
to
15 January 1973
with consultant Uri Geller.
B.
Background
A program in biofield measurements was
initiated in July 1972
with
a preliminary experiment with Mr.
Swann,
In this work using
a shielded magnetometer,
Mr.
Swann apparently demonstrated an ability
to increase and decrease
at will
the magnetic field within
a
super-
conducting magnetic
shield.
This experiment made use of an existing
facility and we have confidence that Mr.
Swann had no prior knowledge
of either the apparatus or of our intended experiment.
The experimental
results were carefully scrutinized and were unlike any data previously
produced with
this apparatus.
That observation
is summarized
in
Proposal for Research SRI
No.
ISU 72-134
(Biofield Measurements
Program)
in your possession.
Based on that observation,
Tasks
and
2 were
initiated
to carry out further experimentation with Mr.
Swann
in the
field measurements area,
and,
later,
Task
3 was added
to carry
out
similar experimentation with Mr.
Geller.
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II
TASKS
1 AND
2;
EXPERIMENTATION WITH
INGO SWANN
The magnetometer observation of July
1972 indicated
at
least two
forms
of biofield functioning:
1)
the passive perception of information
through some
as yet unidentified communication channel,
and
2)
the
active perturbation of
the functioning of
a
laboratory device.
The
initial experiments were designed
to test each of these functions
separately.
A.
Probability
1/3 Target Location
The first experiment
to be carried out under Tasks
1 and
had as
its goal
the testing of
the hypothesis
that information can be
obtained from locations inaccessible
to ordinary viewing.
In order
to place
the experiment on
a quantitative basis,
a procedure was followed
in which
a
target object was placed in one of
three identical containers,
the
task of Swann being
to enter the
experimental area after placement and indicate
the target container.
Targets consisted of
a
range of organic and inorganic materials
(e.g.,
quartz prism,
tomato,
flower,
etc.).
In
this short term study
insufficient data exists for discrimination among materials
as
to
their efficiency as target material.
The
target containers were
9-1/8" x 4-5/8" x 4-9/16" x
1/4"
thick wooden boxes,
and
the choice
of
target container for each trial was determined by
a random number
generator.
The experiment was not carried out
in
a double blind fashion
in
this particular case
(i.e.,
the experimenter in the room knew of
the target location).
However,
in order
to minimize subliminal
cueing,
the experimenter was
seated behind the subject
in such
a
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position that he could not observe
the choosing process on the part
of
the subject until after the choice was made.
In
a follow-on
program subsequent successful double blind experiments with this subject
further indicate that the experimenter
is not part
of
the choice
process.
The results are shown
in Figures
1 and
2.
The experiment
was repeated
ten times per day over
a five-day period yielding
a
total run of fifty
trials.
With an
a priori probability of p = 1/3
per trial,
the expected number of hits
in
a 50-trial
run
is given by
y
= 16.6.
The observed number of hits was
26,
exceeding chance
expectation by
RS3C*;
the
a_ priori probability of such
a result
due to chance alone
is
p = 0.005.
As indicated
in Figure
2,
an additional
item of
significance
is
the general increase
in
the number
of hits/10-trial
run over the 50— trial period.
A least-squares fit
linear regression
curve
(learning curve)
indicates
a
learning rate
of 0.5/10-trial
run.
The
a priori probability
of obtaining the above learning curve
by chance for the given data
is
p «0.1
(obtained from an analysis
of the slope using small
sample Student's
t distribution statistics).
Therefore,
the indication for learning
is weaker than the
indication
of ability,
but nevertheless positive.
*Standard deviation
o = /npq
,
where n
is
the number of
trials,
p
is the
a priori probability
of
a correct choice,
and q
is
the
a priori probability per trial of an incorrect choice.
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The conclusion to be drawn from this experiment
is that
there
is
a strong indication that information was being transferred
from one location
to another through some as yet unidentified communication
channel
.
B.
Remote Temperature Control Experiment
A second experiment was
initiated
to examine
the active
perturbation of
the functioning
of
a
laboratory device.
The target
chosen was
a copper-cons tantin 30 p,V/°F thermocouple sealed
in
a
50 milliliter flask of helium gas
at atmospheric pressure,
(Helium
was chosen at
the request of
Mr,
Swann who described an affinity for
helium following the original magnetometer experiment which
involved
cooling by
liquid helium,)
Mr.
Swann
T s
task was
to learn
to control
the temperature
registered
at
the thermocouple junction as
it was being monitored
by
a Hewlett-Packard Model 425A DC microvoltmeter and displayed
on
a strip chart recorder.
The use
of feedback in an experiment
of
this
nature
is considered important both by Mr,
Swann and by
the experimenters.
Following
a
learning period of several days
effort,
an
hour or so
a day,
Mr.
Swann expressed confidence
in his ability
to
perform the task.
A
x'igid protocol was
then followed
in which the
experimenter and
Mr.
Swann sat
in fixed positions
in
the
laboratory,
Mr.
Swann
two feet from the
target,
experimenter four feet behind
Mr .
Swann
.
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The data,
shown
in Figure
3,
were obtained
in the following
procedure.
After
a 20-minute control period
in which
the temperature
was stabilized,
a predetermined random series
of
ten
"heat" and
"rest"
commands were read out by
the experimenter at 3-minute
intervals.
The
recorded data
indicates
that nine
of
the
ten commands resulted
in
changes
in agreement with the commands.
Control
runs with other
laboratory personnel under identical conditions yielded null
results.
Therefore
it can be concluded that
the control
of
temperature variations
in
a remote object
is
indicated.
Further work
in
this area
is necessary
to determine from temperature distributions,
shielding effects,
etc.,
whether such control
is due
to an exquisite ability
to control known
physical effects
or due
to the activation
of some paranormal mechanism.
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C
.
4-State Random Generator Experiment
A third experiment with Mr,
Swann involved
the use
of an
electronic random number generator which randomly chooses one
of
four possible
targets
(p = 1/4) without indicating
its choice until
Mr,
Swann had indicated
to
the machine his
choice by pressing
a
button.
The apparatus used
in this work was designed with the goal
of enhancing extraordinary human functioning which may be
a more or
less latent capacity
to some extent
in all people.
Our hypothesis
is
that enhancement can be accomplished by allowing
the user of
the
machine
to become consciously aware
of his own mental
state
at
those
times when he
is most successfully employing his extra sensory faculties.
With increased
conscious awareness
of
this mental
state,
we hypothesize
that he
is
then able to bring his otherwise intermittent faculties
under his volitional control.
An important feature
of
the machine
is
that
the choice per
se
of
a
target
is not forced.
That
is,
the subject may press
a
PASS
button on the machine when he wishes’ not
to guess.
Thus,
with practice,
the subject can learn
to recognize
those states
of mind
in which he can
correctly choose
the
target.
He does not
have
to guess
at targets
when he does not feel that he "knows" which
to
choose.
When the PASS button is pushed,
the machine indicates what
its choice was,
and neither
a hit nor
a
trial
is scored by
the machine
which then goes on
to make
its next
selection.
We consider this
elimination of forced choice
to be
a significant condition for learning
to enhance extraordinary perception abilities.
When the user of
the machine indicates
his choice
to
the
machine,
he
is
immediately and automatically informed of
the correct
answer.
Until
that
time both experimenter and
the subject remain
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