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| Parapsychological Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | Parapsychological Association |
| Type | Learned society |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Founder | * J. B. Rhine * Rexford T. Haines |
| Location | United States |
| Focus | Parapsychology, psi research |
Parapsychological Association is an international professional organization for researchers and scholars who study purported paranormal phenomena and psi. It was established to foster scientific exchange among investigators engaged in extrasensory perception and psychokinesis research and to communicate findings to broader scholarly communities. The association has sought affiliation with mainstream scientific bodies while maintaining a distinct membership of experimentalists, clinicians, and theorists.
The association traces origins to mid-20th century efforts by J. B. Rhine, Rexford T. Haines, and contemporaries at institutions such as Duke University and the Rhine Research Center to systematize study of extrasensory perception. Early milestones include formation in 1957, landmark debates involving figures from Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, and interactions with noted skeptics from Committee for Skeptical Inquiry founder Paul Kurtz. The group pursued ties with bodies like the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the International Council of Scientific Unions while encountering contested exchanges with scientists affiliated with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University of Chicago.
Governance has typically involved elected officers, regional chapters, and editorial boards drawing from academics at institutions such as University of Edinburgh, University College London, University of Amsterdam, and University of California, Berkeley. Membership categories have included research members, associate members, and students, with representation from clinicians at Mayo Clinic and psychologists linked to American Psychological Association divisions. Notable members historically have been affiliated with Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research, the Rosenbach Museum, and laboratories connected to SRI International and Stanford Research Institute collaborators.
Research agendas have encompassed laboratory experiments in extrasensory perception, remote viewing projects connected to Stargate Project, micro-PK experiments at facilities like Princeton University and meta-analyses influenced by statistical approaches from Ronald Fisher and Karl Pearson. The association sponsors peer-reviewed publications and newsletters with editorial contributions from scholars with links to journals such as Journal of Consciousness Studies, Nature, Science, and specialized outlets like Journal of Parapsychology and conference proceedings involving participants from Max Planck Society and Tokyo University. Researchers have employed methodologies referencing work by Sir Francis Galton and statistical frameworks associated with Jerzy Neyman and W. Edwards Deming.
Annual conferences convene presenters from universities including Yale University, Columbia University, University of Oxford, McGill University, and research institutes like Max Planck Institute and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The association has offered awards recognizing lifetime achievement, early-career contributions, and best paper honors, attracting nominees from laboratories associated with Princeton University, University of Arizona, University of Virginia, and independent researchers who have collaborated with centers such as SRI International and Applied Research Laboratories.
The association has pursued affiliation and dialogue with scientific organizations such as American Association for the Advancement of Science and has engaged critics from Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and individual scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. Collaborative and contentious interactions have occurred with investigators from Princeton University’s anomalous cognition lab, theorists at University of Cambridge, and statisticians from Imperial College London. Some mainstream journals including Nature and Science have published critiques and occasional reports related to association research, producing exchanges with editors and reviewers linked to Royal Society membership.
Critiques emphasize replication failures cited by researchers at Stanford University, MIT, and University of Chicago, methodological disputes involving figures associated with Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and high-profile debates with skeptics such as James Randi and proponents from Rhine Research Center. Controversial projects like alleged remote viewing programs intersected with military and intelligence interests exemplified by the Stargate Project and received scrutiny from oversight entities and investigative journalists connected to outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Accusations of publication bias, statistical misapplication referencing debates around p-hacking and standards promoted by American Statistical Association have been recurrent themes.
Ethical concerns relate to human subjects protections overseen by institutional review boards at universities including Duke University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University and to informed consent practices in studies involving vulnerable populations. Legal disputes have occasionally involved contracts and funding arrangements with government agencies tied to Central Intelligence Agency programs and privatized research at organizations such as SRI International and Lockheed Martin subcontractors. The association has adopted codes of conduct echoing norms promoted by World Medical Association and guidelines utilized by American Psychological Association.
Category:Scientific organizations Category:Parapsychology