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UPCOMING SCHEDULE MARK YOUR PLANNERS!!
Thursday: ESP Myth
Monday: ReviewNotebook Preparation SheetPapers Returned
Wednesday: Test – Myths 1 – 3/Mythbusting/LoveNotebook DUEPersonality Quizzes DUEMissing/Late Work and Notes DUE
BELIEF IN ESP*TAKE YOUR OWN
NOTES
Myth #3: Extrasensory Perception (ESP) is a Well-
Established Scientific Phenomenon
What is ESP?
‘PSI’ phemonena, or “paranormal”
3 varieties: #1: Telepathy (communication mind-mind) #2: Clairvoyance (gain info without senses) #3: Precognition (future events)
*Psychokinesis (levitating a table)
Why Do People Believe In ESP? 3 in 4 Americans believe in ESP
phenomena
Why believe?
Reason 1 – Easily persuaded by vivid anecdotes and experiences. Mythbusting Toolkit #3 – We forget
the “misses” and remember the “hits” Confirmation Bias Overconfidence
Theresa Caputo, the Long Island Medium
http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/long-island medium
Why Do People Believe In ESP?Reason 2 -We are unaware of factors that
influence our thought processes
David Copperfield
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SdtHDpzyIQ http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl_card_trick5.htm
Change Blindness Derron Brown, person swap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBPG_OBgTWg
Whodunnit?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubNF9QNEQLA
Why Do People Believe In ESP?Reason 3 -We fail to recognize chance occurrences for what they are
King James version of the Bible was completed when Shakespeare was 46 years old. In Psalms 46, the 46th work is “shake” and the 46th word from the end is “spear.” WOW….really?
Why Do People Believe In ESP?
Reason 4 -We want to! Belief Perseverance –
We continue to believe in something even after it has been discredited
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZhOk6NHqQo
Putting ESP to the Test
Your Turn – Test Your Group the Way the Experts
Do!
What Are the Odds?
15 correct = 25% (same odds as guessing) 10 – 20 is average
Anything more than 25 correct considered “above chance” occurrence. Anyone telepathic? Replication?
How Do Psychologists Ask & Answer Questions?
Psychologists, like all scientists, use the scientific method to construct theories that
organize, summarize and simplify observations.
Theory
A theory is an explanation that integrates principles and organizes and predicts
behavior or events.
For example, low self-esteem contributes to depression.
ORPeople with telepathy can communicate
mind-to-mind.
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a testable prediction, often prompted by a theory, to enable us
to accept, reject or revise the theory.
People with low self-esteem are apt to feel more depressed.
ORPeople with telepathy can “see” the suit of a card that another person is looking
at.
Research Observations
Research would require us to administer tests of self-esteem and depression.
Individuals who score low on a self-esteem test and high on a depression test would provide EVIDENCE for our hypothesis.
ORPeople who get more than 30% correct in a
card suit reading REPEATEDLY are EVIDENCE of our hypothesis.
Putting ESP to the Test
What parapsychology needs is REPRODUCIBLE phenomena AND a THEORY to explain it.
How can we TEST ESP?
An experiment differs from a staged demonstration.
In the lab, an experimenter CONTROLS what the “psychic” sees & hears. On stage it is the “psychic” in control.
How to test ESP
Zener test 20% correct
Ganzfield test
Putting ESP to the Test
Scientific American Frontiers “Water, water, everywhere”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq4S6ArE7wc
The experiment
Testing ESP claims
Researching paranormal claims since 1957
“Parapsychology will achieve scientific acceptability only when it provides a positive theory with…independently replicable evidence. This is something it has yet to achieve after more than a century.”
Ray Hyman (2010)
Psychologist Daryl Bem
9 experiments, seemed to show precognition (2011)
When an erotic scene was about to appear on screen in 1 of 2 randomly selected positions, Cornell U participants guessed right 53.1% of the time (barely beat 50%).
Replication begins!
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