Extra-Sensory Perception
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Plain English Summary
This is where it all started. Published in 1934, Rhine's book is the big bang of experimental parapsychology -- the moment someone said, "Let's actually test psychic powers in a lab." At Duke University, Rhine had subjects guess symbols on Zener cards across 64,000+ trials. The results were statistically stunning -- some subjects scored so far above chance the odds against luck were astronomical. Rhine coined the term "ESP" and created protocols for testing telepathy (mind reading) and clairvoyance (sensing hidden objects). His methods became the blueprint parapsychology followed for decades, directly shaping later ganzfeld, remote viewing, and precognition research.
Research Notes
Historical landmark: this 288-page book established ESP as a measurable phenomenon amenable to laboratory investigation. The Zener card methodology and statistical approach (probable error, critical ratios) became the template for decades of ESP research. Essential foundation for understanding subsequent ganzfeld, remote viewing, and precognition research. Contains detailed experimental protocols, subject profiles, and statistical appendices. The Duke experimental program described here directly influenced later parapsychology at SRI and other institutions.
The foundational monograph that launched modern experimental parapsychology. Rhine describes systematic card-guessing experiments at Duke University (1930-1933) using Zener cards (five symbols) and playing cards, reporting statistically significant evidence for extra-sensory perception across 64,000+ trials. Major subjects include A.J. Linzmayer, Charles E. Stuart, and Hubert E. Pearce Jr., with X values (critical ratios) reaching 75.3. Introduces the term 'ESP' and establishes the experimental paradigm with telepathy and clairvoyance conditions. Published by Boston Society for Psychic Research with foreword by William McDougall.
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📋 Cite this paper
Rhine, J. B (1934). Extra-Sensory Perception. .
@article{rhine_1934_extrasensory_perception,
title = {Extra-Sensory Perception},
author = {Rhine, J. B},
year = {1934},
journal = {},
}