http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/06/science/06esp.html?_r=1
a study by Dartmouth psychology professor Daryl Bem has found that people guess the correct answer to a series of lab questions at a rate better than statistical chance. Bem's research is held by many to be an assault on the scientific process as the causation of this phenomenon cannot currently determined.
Dr. Jonathan Schooler, UCSB Psychology professor was a reviewer for the proposal to The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Schooler has done his own ESP research, and in addition to more conventional fields of psychological research, has made a stir in recent years for his publications on "The Decline Effect" which states that the strength of any effect diminishes over time due to "cosmic habituation." Schooler's review of Bem's article should be in today's NY times.
This issue is a good representation of the field of clinical psychology's exploration of the human psyche beyond our current understanding. The resistance that the academic institution is providing to this research reminds me of Timmothy Leary's release from Harvard following his LSD experiments on graduate students, although all of these researchers are in ten-yeared positions.
Interesting example of the tension between "Science" and "pseudoscience", especially with regard to the interrelationships between irrationality, quantification, and subjectivity. This is not only relevant to this week's readings, but also provides insight into thursday's screening...
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely an interesting experiment. His relatively small sample-sizes and the fact that his results don't appear to be readily reproducible make me a bit wary, but I think what is most telling here is the ridiculous response from the academic community. Clearly politics and appearances are more important to many "researchers" than actual exploration of the unknown. No experimental results should be considered invalid a priori, especially when the subject being studied is as complex and mysterious as the human mind.
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