Methodological Issues Related To The Study of Paranormal Cognition

Extra Sensory Perception - Ganzfield

• Preparing the reciever - relaxes in a room for half hour, recieving white or pink noise to eliminate sensory input from sounds. Halved table tennis balls are placed on the eyes and a red light shone in the face producing an overall mild sense of sensory deprivation. A relaxation tape is also played, hallucinations can occur.
• Sending the target - sender is in another soundproof room with opaque packets filled with 4 images. The sender uses mental intention to telepathetically relay the message. 
• Judging the outcome - a session last between 15 and 30 minutes, then the reciever is relieved and presented with four images to rate from the mental imagery recieved. The order is randomised. 
• Recievers should achieve about 25 per cent success rate. 
• Ray Hyman produced flaws:
• Security - sensory leakage by experimenters talking to recievers. 
• Statistical - wrong choice of tests and inappropriate forms of analysis
• Procedural - randomisation and documentation problems. 

• Honorton and Ferrari conducted a meta-analysis that found 30% significance. 
• Milton and Wiseman found no significance…