Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 1989-6
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LVIII. Autonomic Activity,Hemolysis,and Biological Psychokinesis: Possible Relationships with Geomagnetic Field Activity
Several recent reports have indicated significant relations between extrasensory perception (ESP) experiences and performances and the Earth's geomagnetic field (GMF) activity. ESP experiences are reported more frequently, and accuracy of laboratory ESP is more accurate, on days of relatively quiet GMF activity. On the other hand, there are indications that a complementary paranormal process, psychokinesis, may be enhanced by high GMF activity. We conducted retrospective analyses of possible relations between GMF activity and (a) electrodermal activity (as an index of sympathetic autonomic activity), (b) rate of hemolysis of human red blood cells in vitro, (c) attempted distant mental (i.e., psychokinetic) influence of electrodermal activity, and (d) attempted distant mental (psychokinetic) influence of rate of hemolysis. For each of these four measures, high activity was associated with high GMF values, while low activity was associated with low GMF values. The relations were statistically significant for three of the four analyses and showed a consistent trend in the fourth.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AdamsM. H.Variability in remote viewing performance possible relationship to the geomagnetic field. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 28th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1985, 1, 451–462.
2.
AdamsM. H.Persistent temporal relationship of Ganzfeld results to geomagnetic activity, appropriateness of using standard geomagnetic indices. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 29th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1986, 471–485.
3.
ArangoM. A.PersingerM. A.Geophysical variables and behavior: LII. Decreased geomagnetic activity and spontaneous telepathic experiences from the Sidgwick collection. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1988, 67, 907–910.
4.
BakerB.HardyckC.PetrinovichL.Weak measurement vs. strong statistics: An empirical critique of S. S. Stevens’ proscriptions on statistics. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1966, 26, 291–309.
5.
BawinS. M.AdeyW. R.Sensitivity of calcium binding in cerebral tissue to weak environmental electric fields oscillating at low frequency. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1976, 73, 1999–2003.
6.
BawinS. M.AdeyW. R.SabbotM.Ionic factors in release of 45Ca2+ from chick cerebral tissue by electromagnetic fields. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1978, 75, 6314–6318.
7.
BawinS. M.KaczmarekL. K.AdeyW. R.Effects of modulated VHF fields on the central nervous system. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1975, 247, 74–81.
8.
BeckerR. O.MarinoA. A.Electromagnetism and life. Albany, NY: State Univer. of New York Press, 1982.
9.
BlackmanC. F.The biological influences of low-frequency sinusoidal electromagnetic signals alone and superimposed on RF carrier waves. In ChiabreraA.NicoliniC.SchwanH. (Eds.), Interactions between electromagnetic fields and cells. New York: Plenum, 1985. Pp. 521–536.
10.
BoneauC.The effects of violations of assumptions underlying the t test. Psychological Bulletin, 1960, 57, 49–64.
11.
BraudW.Psi-conducive conditions: Explorations and interpretations. In ShapinB.ColyL. (Eds.), Psi and states of awareness. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1978. Pp. 1–41.
12.
BraudW.Lability and inertia in psychic functioning. In ShapinB.ColyL. (Eds.), Concepts and theories of parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1981. Pp. 1–28.
13.
BraudW.ESP, PK and sympathetic nervous system activity. Parapsychology Review, 1985, 16, 1–5.
14.
BraudW.On the use of living target systems in distant mental influence research. In ShapinB.ColyL. (Eds.), Psi research methodology: A reexamination. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1989, in press.
15.
BraudW.Distant mental influence of rate of hemolysis of human red blood cells. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1990, in press.
16.
BraudW.SchlitzM.A methodology for the objective study of transpersonal imagery. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 1989, in press.
17.
DelgadoJ. M. R.LealJ.MonteagudoJ. L.GraciaM. G.Embryological changes induced by weak, extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields. Journal of Anatomy, 1982, 134, 533–551.
18.
DubrovA. P.The geomagnetic field and life. New York: Plenum, 1978.
GaitoJ.Nonparametric methods in psychological research. Psychological Reports, 1959, 5, 115–125.
21.
GaitoJ.Measurement scales and statistics: Resurgence of an old misconception. Psychological Bulletin, 1980, 87, 564–567.
22.
GearhartL.PersingerM. A.Geophysical variables and behavior: XXXIII. Onsets of historical and contemporary poltergeist episodes occurred with sudden increases in geomagnetic activity. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1986, 62, 463–466.
23.
GlassG. V.McGawB.SmithM. L.Meta-analysis in social research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1981.
HarrisM. J.RosenthalR.Human performance research: An overview. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1988.
26.
HonortonC.Psi and internal attention states. In WolmanB. B. (Ed.), Handbook of parapsychology. New York Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977. Pp. 435–472.
27.
HonortonC.Meta-analysis of psi Ganzfeld research: A response to Hyman. Journal of Parapsychology, 1985, 49, 51–91.
28.
HonortonC.Summarizing research findings: Meta-analytic methods and their use in parapsychology. In ShapinB.ColyL. (Eds.), Psi research methodology: A re-examination. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1989, in press.
29.
HubbardG. S.MayE. C.Aspects of measurement and applications of geomagnetic indices and extremely low frequency electromagnetic radiation for use in parapsychology. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 29th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1986, 519–535.
30.
MakarecK.PersingerM. A.Geophysical variables and behavior: XLIII. Negative correlation between accuracy of card-guessing and geomagnetic activity: A case study. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1987, 65, 105–106.
31.
MattockR. D.Random fluctuation theory of psychokinesis: Random noise model. In MorrisJ.RollW.MorrisR. (Eds.), Research in parapsychology 1976Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1977. Pp. 191–195.
32.
MattuckR. D.Thermal noise theory of psychokinesis: Modified Walker model with pulsed information rate. Psychoenergetic Systems, 1979, 3, 301–326.
33.
MattuckR. D.WalkerE. H.The action of consciousness on matter: A quantum mechanical theory of psychokinesis. In PuharichA. (Ed.), The Iceland papers. Amherst, WI: Essentia Research Assoc, 1979. Pp. 111–160.
34.
NelsonR. D.DunneB. J.Attempted correlation of engineering anomalies with global geomagnetic activity. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 29th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1986, 507–518.
35.
NortonD.An empirical investigation of some effects of non-normality and heterogeneity on the F-distribution. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, State Univer. of Iowa, 1952.
36.
PersingerM. A.ELF and VLF electric and magnetic field effects: The patterns and the problems. In PersingerM. (Ed.), ELF and VLF electromagnetic field effects. New York: Plenum, 1974. Pp. 275–310.
37.
PersingerM. A.The weather matrix and human behavior. New York: Praeger, 1980.
38.
PersingerM. A.Geophysical variables and behavior: XXX. Intense paranormal experiences occur during days of quiet, global, geomagnetic activity. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1985, 61, 320–322.
39.
PersingerM. A.Psi phenomena and temporal lobe activity: The geomagnetic factor. In HenkelL.BergerR. (Eds.), Research in parapsychology 1988. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1989, in press.
40.
PersingerM.KrippnerS.Experimental dream telepathy-clairvoyance and geomagnetic activity. Proceedings of Presented Papers: The 29th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, 1986, 459–468.
41.
PersingerM.SchautG.Geomagnetic factors in subjective telepathic, precognitive, and postmortem experiences. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1988, 82, 217–235.
42.
PodshibyakinA. K.SmirnovR. V.Group features of bioelectric anticipation of geomagnetic disturbances by man. In Abstracts of Papers Communicated to the 23rd All-Union Scientific Session on Scientific Technology of the Society for Radio Engineering and Electrocommunication. Moscow: 1967. P. 18. [Cited by Dubrov, 1978]
43.
PressmanA. S.Electromagnetic fields and life. New York: Plenum, 1970.
44.
RadinD. I.NelsonR. D.Evidence for consciousness-related anomalies in random physical systems. Foundations of Physics, 1989, in press.
45.
RollW. G.Poltergeists. In WolmanB. B. (Ed.), Handbook of parapsychology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977. Pp. 382–413.
46.
RollW. G.A systems theoretical approach to psi. In ShapinB.ColyL. (Eds.), Current trends in psi research. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, 1985. Pp. 47–86.
47.
RollW. G.GearhartL.Geomagnetic perturbations and RSPK. In RollW.MorrisR.MorrisJ. (Eds.), Research in parapsychology 1973. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1974. Pp. 44–46.
48.
RosenthalR.Meta-analytic procedures for social research. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1984.
49.
SchautG. B.PersingerM. A.Geophysical variables and behavior: XXXI. Global geomagnetic activity during spontaneous paranormal experiences: A replication. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1985, 61, 412–414.
50.
StanfordR. G.Toward reinterpreting psi events. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1978, 72, 197–214.
51.
TartC. T.Geomagnetic effects on GESP: Two studies. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 1988, 82, 193–216.
