Quote:
Originally Posted by Topher Cooper  People being given a reading in the presence of the reader will, inevitably give off conventional signals. Cold readers consciously look for these signals but people can and do unconsciously pick up such signals as well. So if your "intuitives" do have some paranormal ability this experimental design will not be able to distinguish it from conventional abilities.
You might consider a design based on psychometry rather than face-to-face readings. |
Topher, your statement above sounds like you have extensive experience in mediumship or conducting experiments with mediums. Is this the case, or are you merely repeating the accusations of sideline skeptics?
While it is true that people's facial expressions hint to their inner mood or outer reaction to a certain piece of information, I have yet to meet a person whose facial expressions reveal that their aunt on the mother's side has been dead for more than 10 years. Remember, the rules of my challenge don't allow verbal exchanges between the subject and the intuitive/inquirer. However, I
would not object to a screen partition placed between myself and the subject. I want to eliminate the excuse of "cold reading" from the process.
As far as psychometry goes, I don't do psychometry, so that option is moot.