USING THE GANZFELD IN QUALITATIVE PROCESS RESEARCH: AN INTERIM REPORT.
Subject: Parapsychology (Research)
Extrasensory perception (Research)
Authors: PARKER, ADRIAN
PERSSON, ANNELI
Pub Date: 09/01/1999
Publication: Name: The Journal of Parapsychology Publisher: Parapsychology Press Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Psychology and mental health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 1999 Parapsychology Press ISSN: 0022-3387
Issue: Date: Sept, 1999 Source Volume: 63 Source Issue: 3
Geographic: Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States
Accession Number: 60054208
Full Text: The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support for this study from the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation and from the Perrott-Warrick Fund, Trinity College, Cambridge University.

ABSTRACT: In an attempt to learn something new about psi, our current research is oriented towards developing the ganzfeld procedure to produce high scores and good quality hits. A qualitative study is made here of the good hits which have occurred up to now in our program of research. For most of these sessions a technique was used of recording the mentation report as it was given (in real time) onto a copy being made of the target video clip. The analysis of the content of these tapes strongly suggests that psi functions in a similar way to other sensory modalities when there is reduced information input. While perceptual images can be in some aspects quite accurate, the information responsible for it is modified by top-down processes so as to also contain misperceptions. Both aspects of the perceptual experience come to be regarded as equally real. This does, however, lead to some parapsychological markers of the psi process and these observations give hypotheses about how target selection and judgement ca n be improved.
Gale Copyright: Copyright 1999 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.