Anomalous Cognition

Anomalous cognition involves the acquisition of information emerging from a distant point in spacetime that is blocked from the usual sensory systems by distance, shielding or time. From 1975 to 1995, Edwin May was a scientist and then program director for the U.S. government’s psychic espionage program, known as STAR GATE. With the closing of that program, research has continued at the Laboratories for Fundamental Research, in Palo Alto, in the areas of methodology and analysis, neurophysiological studies, personnel assessment and selection, operations research, the physics of anomalous cognition, and psychokinesis.

The conclusions from this 35+ year research effort can be summarized as (1) ESP exists; (2) the gradient of Shannon entropy is the key factor influencing information transfer; (3) because of the innate nature of the ability, the phenomenon so far resists training for excellence (and replication studies will not yield results), and (4) evidence for psychokinesis (PK) is questionable.
This book presents the state-of-the-art, with 26 key papers on research methods, physiological research, decision augmentation theory, entropy, other research, and research challenges.

Edwin C. May is the leading figure in anomalous cognition research, and has authored more than 500 research and technical papers in this area. The former director of the U.S. government psychoenergetics research program STAR GATE at SRI International and SAIC for two decades, he is the president of the Laboratories for Fundamental Research in Palo Alto, California.

Sonali Bhatt Marwaha is a research associate with the Laboratories for Fundamental Research. Her areas of interest include Indian psychology and the synthesis of the cognitive sciences and anomalous cognition research leading to a theoretical framework. She lives in India.

Edited by Edwin C. May and Sonali Bhatt Marwaha

Foreword by Richard Broughton

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 444
Bibliographic Info: 27 photos, glossary, notes, bibliographies, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9458-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1627-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Foreword  Richard Broughton 1
Introduction  Edwin C. May 4

Research Methods in Anomalous Cognition
Anomalous Cognition: Two Protocols for Data Collection and Analyses (Edwin C. May, Sonali Bhatt Marwaha and Vinay K. Chaganti) 18
A Target Pool and Database for Anomalous Cognition Experiments (Edwin C. May and Laura V. Faith) 38
Managing the ­Target-Pool Bandwidth: Possible Noise Reduction for Anomalous Cognition Experiments  (Edwin C. May and S. James P. Spottiswoode) 48
Advances in ­Remote Viewing Analysis  (Edwin C. May, Jessica M. Utts, Wanda L. W. Luke and Thane J. Frivold) 57
Advances in Anomalous Cognition Analysis: A ­Judge-Free and Accurate Confidence-Calling Technique  (Edwin C. May) 80
Target and Sender Dependencies in Anomalous Cognition Experiments  (Nevin D. Lantz, Wanda L. W. Luke and Edwin C. May) 89
Feedback Considerations in Anomalous Cognition Experiments  (Edwin C. May, Nevin D. Lantz and Tom Piantanida) 104

Physiological Research in Anomalous Cognition
A Methodological Issue in the Study of Correlation Between Psychophysiological Variables  (Edwin C. May, S. James P. Spottiswoode and Laura V. Faith) 118
Skin Conductance Prestimulus Response: Analyses, Artifacts and a Pilot Study  (S. James P. Spottiswoode and Edwin C. May) 131
Anomalous Anticipatory Effects in the Human Autonomic Nervous System (Edwin C. May and S. James P. Spottiswoode) 152
Anomalous Anticipatory Skin Conductance Response to Acoustic Stimuli: Experimental Results and Speculation Upon a Mechanism (Edwin C. May, Tamás Paulinyi and Zoltán Vassy) 158
A Search for Alpha Power Changes Associated with Anomalous Cognition (Edwin C. May, S. James P. Spottiswoode and Laura V. Faith) 172
Neurophysiological Correlates of Remote Viewing (Edwin C. May, Wanda W. Luke and Thane J. Frivold) 195

Decision Augmentation Theory: A Phenomenological Model
Decision Augmentation Theory: Toward a Model of Anomalous Mental Phenomena  (Edwin C. May, Jessica M. Utts and S. James P. Spottiswoode) 222
Applications of Decision Augmentation Theory  (Edwin C. May, S. James P. Spottiswoode, and Jessica M. Utts) 244
The Global Consciousness Project: Identifying the Source of Psi (Edwin C. May and S. James P. Spottiswoode) 268

Entropy: A Fundamental Model of Anomalous Cognition
Anomalous Cognition Technical Trials: Inspiration for the Target Entropy Concept (Edwin C. May and Nevin D. Lantz) 280
Shannon Entropy: A Possible Intrinsic Target Property (Edwin C. May and S. James P. Spottiswoode) 299
Anomalous Cognition: A Replication and Correlation with the Gradient of Shannon Entropy  (Edwin C. May) 314
Toward a Classical Thermodynamic Model for ­Retro-Cognition (Edwin C. May) 327
Testing Schrödinger’s Paradox with a Michelson Interferometer  (Evan H. Walker, Edwin C. May, S. James P. Spottiswoode and Tom Piantanida) 339

Other Research
Forced-Choice Anomalous Cognition  (Edwin C. May) 352
The Possible Role of Intention, Attention and Expectation in Remote Viewing (Joseph W. McMoneagle and Edwin C. May) 368
Anomalous Cognition Effect Size: Dependence on Sidereal Time and Solar Wind Parameters  (S. James P. Spottiswoode and Edwin C. May) 377

Research Challenges
Facing the Challenges of Parapsychology  (Edwin C. May) 388
The American Institutes for Research Review of the Department of Defense’s STAR GATE Program: A Commentary  (Edwin C. May) 398

Glossary 415
Publications of Edwin C. May 423
About the Contributors 429
Index 431

• “It is a crucial, stand-alone source of information”—Australian Journal of Parapsychology