Does Psi Exist? Replicable Evidence for an Anomalous Process of Information Transfer
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Plain English Summary
One of the most influential papers in psychic research history, carrying a poignant backstory: co-author Charles Honorton died just nine days before it was accepted for publication. The paper tackles telepathy using the "ganzfeld" method -- a setup where one person relaxes in a sensory-dampened state while a sender concentrates on a randomly chosen image or clip. The receiver picks the target from four options, so chance is 25%. Across 28 studies, receivers hit at 35% -- so far above chance it would happen by accident once in 500 billion tries. Honorton's newer automated experiments still landed at 32%, not as flashy but solidly significant. One delightful finding: Juilliard performing arts students nailed an astonishing 50% hit rate, hinting creative types might have a special knack. Bem argued the effects were strong enough that mainstream psychology needed to pay attention.
Actual Paper Abstract
Most academic psychologists do not yet accept the existence of psi, anomalous processes of information or energy transfer (such as telepathy or other forms of extrasensory perception) that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms. We believe that the replication rates and effect sizes achieved by one particular experimental method, the ganzfeld procedure, are now sufficient to warrant bringing this body of data to the attention of the wider psychological community. Competing meta-analyses of the ganzfeld database are reviewed, by R. Hyman (1985), a skeptical critic of psi research, and the other by C. Honorton (1985), a parapsychologist and major contributor to the ganzfeld database. Next the results of 11 new ganzfeld studies that comply with guidelines jointly authored by R. Hyman and C. Honorton (1986) are summarized. Finally, issues of replication and theoretical explanation are discussed.
Research Notes
A landmark paper in psi research that presented the autoganzfeld results and helped bring ganzfeld research to mainstream psychology's attention. The original PDF was an image-only scan with no machine-readable text. Full text has been extracted via OCR and the file is now searchable. Charles Honorton died of a heart attack on November 4, 1992, 9 days before this article was accepted for publication. He was 46. This paper exists in both folder 01_Meta-Analyses and 02_Telepathy. The optimized version (3.2MB) retains full text searchability while minimizing file size.
Reviews competing meta-analyses of 28 ganzfeld psi studies (Hyman 1985 vs. Honorton 1985) and presents 11 new autoganzfeld studies from Honorton's Psychophysical Research Laboratories. The original 28-study database yielded a composite z = 6.60 (p = 2.1 × 10⁻¹¹) with a 35% hit rate against 25% chance (effect size h = .28, 95% CI [.11, .45]). The 11 autoganzfeld studies (240 receivers, 329 sessions) achieved 32% hits (z = 2.89, p = .002, π = .59). Dynamic video targets outperformed static targets (37% vs. 27%, p < .04). Juilliard performing arts students hit at 50% (p = .014). Concludes the ganzfeld effect is replicable and large enough to warrant mainstream attention.
Links
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Critiqued By
Extended By
- Does Psi Exist? Comments on Milton and Wiseman's (1999) Meta-Analysis of Ganzfeld Research — Storm, Lance (2001)
- Meta-Analysis of Free-Response Studies, 1992–2008: Assessing the Noise Reduction Model in Parapsychology — Storm, Lance (2010)
- Stage 2 Registered Report: Anomalous Perception in a Ganzfeld Condition - A Meta-Analysis of More Than 40 Years Investigation — Tressoldi, P.E (2024)
- Updating the Ganzfeld Database: A Victim of Its Own Success? — Bem, Daryl J (2001)
Extends
Same Research Program
Cited By
- Using Neuroimaging to Resolve the Psi Debate — Moulton, Samuel T (2008)
- Quantum Aspects of the Brain-Mind Relationship: A Hypothesis with Supporting Evidence — Kauffman, Stuart A (2023)
- Nonlocality, Intention, and Observer Effects in Healing Studies: Laying a Foundation for the Future — Schwartz, Stephan A (2010)
- Anomalous Cognition: An Umbrella Review of the Meta-Analytic Evidence — Tressoldi, Patrizio (2021)
- Explicit Anomalous Cognition: A Review of the Best Evidence in Ganzfeld, Forced-choice, Remote Viewing and Dream Studies — Baptista, Johann (2015)
- Do You Know Who Is Calling? Experiments on Anomalous Cognition in Phone Call Receivers — Schmidt, Stefan (2009)
- Evaluation of a Program on Anomalous Mental Phenomena — Hyman, Ray (1996)
- Can Parapsychology Move Beyond the Controversies of Retrospective Meta-Analyses? — Kennedy, J.E (2013)
- Why Most Research Findings About Psi Are False: The Replicability Crisis, the Psi Paradox and the Myth of Sisyphus — Rabeyron, Thomas (2020)
- Decision Augmentation Theory: Toward a Model of Anomalous Mental Phenomena — May, Edwin C (1995)
- An Assessment of the Evidence for Psychic Functioning — Utts, Jessica (1996)
- Some Directions for Mediumship Research — Kelly, Emily Williams (2010)
- Anomalous Information Reception by Research Mediums Demonstrated Using a Novel Triple-Blind Protocol — Beischel, Julie (2007)
- Extrasensory Perception and Quantum Models of Cognition — Tressoldi, Patrizio E (2010)
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Meta Analyzed By
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Rethinking Communication and Consciousness: Lessons from The Telepathy Tapes Podcast
Taking the Mindfield Literally: Discovering Minds by Assuming Competence Among Nonspeakers
Who's Calling? Evaluating the Accuracy of Guessing Who Is on the Phone
A Comparison of Four New Automated Telephone Telepathy Tests
📋 Cite this paper
Bem, Daryl J, Honorton, Charles (1994). Does Psi Exist? Replicable Evidence for an Anomalous Process of Information Transfer. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.115.1.4
@article{bem_1994_does,
title = {Does Psi Exist? Replicable Evidence for an Anomalous Process of Information Transfer},
author = {Bem, Daryl J and Honorton, Charles},
year = {1994},
journal = {Psychological Bulletin},
doi = {10.1037/0033-2909.115.1.4},
}