Apparent Association Between Effect Size in Free Response Anomalous Cognition Experiments and Local Sidereal Time
📄 Original study ↗Plain English Summary
Here's a wild one: your ability to pick up psychic impressions might depend on which way Earth is facing the stars. Researchers analyzed nearly 2,500 trials from 41 studies over 20 years and found that psychic performance spiked dramatically -- nearly four times the average -- at a specific local sidereal time (a clock based on Earth's position relative to the stars rather than the sun). The peak hit around 13.5 hours LST with rock-solid statistics. Even more impressive, an independent batch of studies confirmed the exact same peak time. The team tested whether ordinary clock-time patterns or quirks between experiments could explain it, and ruled those out. This remains one of parapsychology's most tantalizing hints that psi might have a physical, cosmic basis.
Research Notes
One of the most provocative claims in parapsychology: a physical correlate of psi performance tied to celestial orientation. The independent replication strengthens the finding. Extended by Lobach & Bierman (2004) for telephone telepathy. Connects to the DAT framework of May et al. (1995) from the same Cognitive Sciences Laboratory program.
In 2,483 free-response anomalous cognition trials from 41 studies spanning 20 years, effect size showed a striking dependence on local sidereal time (LST). The original dataset (1,468 trials, 21 studies) revealed a 340% increase in effect size within one hour of 13.47h LST (p = 0.001). An independent validation set (1,015 trials, ~20 studies) confirmed the peak at identical LST with a 450% increase (p = 0.05). Combined data yielded ES = 0.467 at peak versus 0.122 overall (gain = 3.82x, t = 3.85, p = 0.0001). Monte Carlo permutation testing gave p = 0.0014. Clock-time distribution and inter-experiment artifacts were tested and rejected as explanations.
Related Papers
Cites
- Decision Augmentation Theory: Toward a Model of Anomalous Mental Phenomena — May, Edwin C (1995)
- A Perceptual Channel for Information Transfer over Kilometer Distances: Historical Perspective and Recent Research — Puthoff, Harold E (1976)
- An Assessment of the Evidence for Psychic Functioning — Utts, Jessica (1996)
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📋 Cite this paper
Spottiswoode, S. James P (1997). Apparent Association Between Effect Size in Free Response Anomalous Cognition Experiments and Local Sidereal Time. Journal of Scientific Exploration.
@article{spottiswoode_1997_apparent,
title = {Apparent Association Between Effect Size in Free Response Anomalous Cognition Experiments and Local Sidereal Time},
author = {Spottiswoode, S. James P},
year = {1997},
journal = {Journal of Scientific Exploration},
}