Parapsychology

by:

Sara Zubair (54)and

Hina Ashraf(47)

Definition:The term parapsychology (also known as psi

phenomena) originates from para meaning "alongside", and psychology(study of mind).

Parapsychologists study a number of apparent paranormal phenomena, including telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis, near-death experiences and reincarnation.

History:

The term parapsychology was coined in or around 1889 by philosopher Max Dessoir.

The Society for Psychical Research(SPR) was founded in London in late 19th century. The formation of the SPR was the first systematic effort to organize scientists and scholars for a critical and sustained investigation of paranormal phenomena.

William James fully supported this work.

Rhine Era:In 1911, Stanford

University became the first academic institution in the United States to study extrasensory perception (ESP) in a laboratory setting.

The publication of J.B. Rhine's book, New Frontiers of the Mind (1937) brought the laboratory's findings to the general public.

Joseph Banks Rhine

The 1970s and 1980s:The affiliation of the Parapsychological

Association (PA) with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in the 1970s, led to a decade of increased parapsychological research.

In 1985 a Chair of Parapsychology was established within the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh.

Most Recent Developements:Since the 1980s, contemporary

parapsychological research has waned considerably in the United States.Early research was considered inconclusive, and parapsychologists were faced with strong opposition from their academic colleagues.

Rupert Sheldrake is an English biochemist. He is known for his research into parapsychology.

Rupert Sheldrake

Kirlian Photography:Some effects thought to be paranormal, for

example the effects of Kirlian Photography.

Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical discharges. It is named after Semyon Kirlian, who, in 1939 accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a high-voltage source, an image is produced on the photographic plate.

Photos with KP Phenomena:

Scope:Parapsychologists study a

number of ostensible paranormal phenomena, including but not limited to:

Telepathy: Transfer of information on thoughts or feelings between individuals by means other than the five classical senses.

Ganzfeld Experiment:

•The Ganzfeld (German for "whole field") is a technique used to test individuals for telepathy.

•In this picture a participant of a Ganzfeld experiment, which proponents say shows evidence of telepathy.

Scope:cont...Precognition: Perception of

information about future places or events before they occur.

The existence of precognition, as with other forms of extrasensory perception, is not accepted as other than a purely psychological process by the mainstream scientific community because no replicable demonstration, "on demand", has ever been achieved.[

Complex Presentiment: Half-Figure in a Yellow Shirt by Kazimir Malevich.

Scope:contn...Clairvoyance: Obtaining

information about places or events at remote locations, by means unknown to current science.

 Parapsychology, including the study of clairvoyance, is an example of pseudoscience.

Scope:contn...Psychokinesis: The ability of

the mind to influence matter, time, space, or energy by means unknown to current science.

Some psychokinesis researchers claim psychokinesis exists and deserves further study, although the focus of research has shifted away from large-scale phenomena to small phenomena.

Scope:contn...Near-death experiences: An

experience reported by a person who nearly died, or who experienced clinical death and then revived.

NDEs include one or more of the following experiences: a sense of being dead; a sensation of floating above one's body and seeing the surrounding area; a sense of overwhelming love and peace; a sensation of moving upwards through a tunnel; encountering a being of light,

Scope:contn...Reincarnation: The rebirth of a

soul or other non-physical aspect of human consciousness in a new physical body after death.

It is specifically the study of "cases of the reincarnation type", that is, cases in which a young child "spontaneously makes remarks about a previous life he would have led before his birth“.(Central belief of Hinduism).

Issues and Debates:Parapsychological theories are

currently viewed as pseudoscientific by the scientific community as they are incompatible with well established laws of science.

Scientists critical of parapsychology stated parapsychology as clustering illusion, availability error, illusion of control or magical thinking.

Fabricated images of  ghosts such as this were very popular in the 19th century

Issues and Debates:contn...Critical analysts, including some

parapsychologists, are not satisfied with experimental parapschology studies,  contend that apparently successful experimental results in psi research are more likely due to poorly trained researchers, or methodological flaws rather than to genuine psi effects.

Stage magician and skeptic ,James Randi has demonstrated that magic tricks can simulate or duplicate some supposedly psychic phenomena.

James Randi

Special Thanks To:Dr Amra who provided us that very opportunity and her permission to work on this topic.

Sources and Reference Books: