Parapsychology in the University Setting

by

Professor Deborah Delanoy

Overview

Objective: ‘Impressionist’ perspective of parapsychology in a university setting

Disclaimer!

Brief university historical overview

Independent research centres: the alternative to university-based research

Pros and Cons

Pros and cons of parapsychology in university settings (UK perspective)

Summary observations/recommendations

University History

SPR Founders:

William Barrett founding member (Royal College of Science in Dublin; Professor of Physics

3 Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge

1st SPR President: Henry Sidgwick (moral philosopher)

Frederick Myers & Edmund Gurney (Sidgwick’s students)

Eleanor Balfour (1st Principal of Newham College, Cambridge)

8 Fellows of the Royal Society

2 Nobel Laureates (Lord Rayleigh; JJ Thompson)

Continental History

Charles Richet: University of Paris (Nobel Laureate; physiologist); 1880’s+ (a founder of IMI; 1914)

Remy Chauvin: Sorbonne (animal behaviouralist)

Hans Bender: IGPP/ University of Freiburg (psychologist: Chair in Border Areas of Psychology and Mental Health) 1954

WHC Tenhaeff: University of Utrecht (Psychology PhD thesis: Clairvoyance and Empathy’, 1933)

Martin Johnson: University of Utrecht (1st University ‘Chair of Parapsychology’, Psychology Department; 1974

Sybo Schouten

Erlendur Haraldsson: University of Iceland

US History

William James (Harvard University)

Gardner Murphy (Columbia University)

John Coover (Stanford University)

William McDougal (Harvard/Duke University)

Joseph Banks (& Louisa) Rhine: Duke University

Gertrude Schmeidler (City University of NY)

Ian Stevenson: Head of Psychiatry Dept, University of Viriginia;

Chester Carlson bequest $2m (1967) established Carlson Chair & the Division of Personality Studies at UVA

Bruce Greyson (2002) Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Director of (renamed) Division of Perceptual Studies/DOPS Carlos Alvarado, Nancy Zingrone, Emily Cook-Kelly; Ed Kelly; Jim Tucker

Robert Jahn: PEAR (Princeton University)

Roger Nelson & York Dobyns

Rhinean Era: Duke University1928

Duke Parapsychology Laboratory (1935)

Journal of Parapsychology (1937)

Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man (FRNM)1965 (founded with help of Carlson & other benefactors)

Institute for Parapsychology (Research & Education)

Rhine Research Centre (RRC) 2002

Rhine recruited Duke graduate students and other interested researchers

Gaither Pratt (lead researcher at Rhine’s lab; UVA)

William Roll: Psychical Research Foundation & West Georgia College

Rhea White: Founder/Director EHE Network & Newsletter

Robert Morris: University of California at SB & Irvine; Syracuse University; Edinburgh University (Koestler Chair)

Rex Stanford: St. John’s University

Charles Honorton: Maimondes Medical Centre NYC & PRL

John Palmer: JFK University Graduate Programme (’77-’81); FRNM/RRC

Richard Broughton: FRNM; University of Northampton

Carlos Alvarado, Nancy Zingrone (DOPS/UVA)

Independent Research Centres/ProgrammesGreatest activity: 1960’s -1990’s

FRNM/Institute for Parapsychology (1965 – 2002) RRC (2002 – present)

Psychical Research Foundation (PRF) (1960’s – present) Bill Roll

Dream Lab at Maimondes Medical Centre (1962- 1979) Montegue Ullman, Stanley Krippner, Irvin Child, Charles Honorton

Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL) (1979-1990) Charles Honorton, Rick Berger, George Hansen, Ephraim Schecter

Mind Science Foundation (MSF) 1958- Hemut Schmidt, William Braud, Marilyn Schlitz (’70-90’s)

Science Unlimited Research Foundation (SURF) 1985-89 Rick Berger & Gary Heseltine

SRI/SAIC Remote Viewing programmes (1970’s – 1995) Hal Putoff (SRI), Russell Targ (SRI); Edwin May (1976-95);

Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS); 1971 – Marilyn Schlitz & Dean Radin

Independent Research CentresPros

Pros:

Very productive

Major advances

Dream research (free-response methodologies)

Remote Viewing work & theoretical spin-offs

Ganzfeld developments

Meta-analysis

DMILS research

Presentiment

Freedom and flexibility in choosing research topics/approaches

Enables a degree of risk-taking and innovation not always associated with traditional research grants

Independent Research CentresCons

Lack of career structure / job security

Dependant on external funding source(s)

Keeping the interest of benefactors

Difficulty in attracting new funds

Value of donations/bequest diminish over time

Low salaries

Relationships with mainstream colleagues

Isolated from ‘the corridors of science’

Lack of exposure / no venue for ‘normalisation’

Education of next generation?

UK: Remained Embedded in Universities

John Beloff

Queen’s University, Belfast (1950’s -1963)

University of Edinburgh (1963 -1985)

PhD students: Adrian Parker; Richard Broughton, Deborah Delanoy

Carl Sargent (late 1970 – early 80’s); Cambridge University

Susan Blackmore (late 70’s – 2002)University of Surrey (PhD); University of West of England

Robert Morris (1985 – 2004): Professor of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology; Dept. of Psychology; Edinburgh University

Caroline Watt & Pete Lamont; Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU)

Morris LegacyWin from Within – Long-Term Strategy

Morris supervised 27 PhD students to completion (1st generation)

18 working at universities; 12 at UK universities

9 PhD students completed PhDs who are 2nd generation (Morris’ grandchildren)

working at UK universities

12 further ‘2nd generation’ PhD students whose studies are on-going in UK universities

4 PhD ‘3rd’ generation current on-going

Parapsychologically trained staff have academic positions at 16 UK university (number is continually growing)

Positive Factors Associated with Universities

Provision of a stable career structure

Skills are valued, respected and required

Access to, training and development of next generation

Researchers embedded in mainstream environment; normalisation of topic

Provision of a stable income/career structure

Full-time academic, substantive posts

Supported by ‘normal’ university funding Freedom from problems associated with funding from bequests & benefactors

Clear career structure

Recognised advancement criteria

Enables short-, medium- and long-term planning to achieve

objectives

Respected profession (if not lucrative…)

Lends (subtle) legitimacy by association to research topics

Normalises subject in the eyes of the public

Bequeaths authority

Provides opportunities to pursue own research agenda

Skills are valued, respected and required

Parapsychologists are (generally) skilled methodologists

Teaching of research methodology key aspect of many undergraduate degrees

But not what many academics most like to teach…

Critical thinking skills

Exchanges with critics; sociology of science; etc.

Parapsychology research students should have mainsteam area(s) of expertise – be multi-faceted

e.g., individual differences

Topic is inherently interesting to students

Helpful in recruiting students

An ‘accessible’ approach to research methods coursework

Provides interesting research illustrations for many areas

Access to, training and development of next generation

Access to a large, reasonably intelligent, young population

Openness

Rebelliousness

Many opportunities to enter parapsychological knowledge into diverse range to topics/subjects

Opportunithy to teach students a sensible, productive approach to the field

Many opportunities to develop relevant research skills and knowledge in students

Both at UG and PG levels

PROVIDE NEXT GENERATION OF TRAINED RESEARCHERS

Researchers embedded in mainstream setting:

normalisation of parapsychology Universities are where science is defined, advanced, challenged

and redefined and disseminated

At universities, an academic is by definition a part of the usual ‘business of science’

Universities are relatively easy to gain ‘entry’ as an academic: confers ‘insider’ status

One of the ‘us’ when performing well (recruit best students) Research areas of academic colleagues accorded same general status

Subtle, almost ‘invisible’, normalisation & acceptance

Network enabling!

Access to useful networks/colleagues Within & outwith own institution and discipline

Expansion of research grant possibilities into mainstream funding sources via networks

Negative Factors

Many competing tasks and duties

Ever changing orientations/priorities

Increasing pressure on staff for income via research and knowledge transfer activities

Shortening of study period for research degrees (MPhils / PhDs)

Multi-disciplinary nature of parapsychology

Impact upon career progression?

Many tasks and duties compete with research activities

Teaching and supervisory duties

Up to 18 hours of ‘in front of class’ teaching per week

Add in lecture preparation and assessment marking time

Personal tutees

Supervision of UG and PG research projects

Large and ever-growing load of administrative work

Tracking student progression; mitigating circumstances; disciplinary actions; quality assurance monitoring, etc.

Committees & working groups

Increasingly prevalence of ‘year round’ teaching

Ever-changing orientations/priorities

The ‘traditional’ university becoming a thing of the past

Must respond rapidly to changing social and governmental priorities

Ever changing curriculum, student populations, etc.

E.g., University of Northampton

1990 – Nene College: respected teacher training college

Mid-1990’s: seeking university status (focus on UG teaching)

1999: University College of Northampton (focus on developing research & research degree students)

2005: University of Northampton (strong research focus)

Today: a business-facing university, strong regional development role; employer engagement (applied teaching, research & knowledge transfer/KT); widening participation agenda, and so on

‘Circle game’ - what goes around, comes around

Increasing pressure on staff for income generation via research and KT activities

Grant & ‘3rd steam’ funding increasingly important source of university income (School’s are ‘profit centres’)

Research grants and KT income must cover ALL associated costs:

The traditional costs: RAs/materials/and so on

Staff time

Associated overheads (usually will double costs)

Parapsychology’s traditional funding sources:

Small charities

Don’t pay overheads;

Generally small grants – difficult to include staff time & RAs;

Requires entry to traditional funding sources

May initially constrain research topics

Essential to adopt a long-term perspective

Shortening of study period for research degrees (MPhils / PhDs)

UK: FT/PT PhD: absolute max.: 5 / 6 years

Meaningful penalties for exceeding limits

Bursaries will only fund 3 years of PhD study

Especially constraining given general lack of undergraduate education in parapsychology

At best, some exposure via examples, UG projects, occasional modules, on-line courses, but still very limited options to gain a good grounding in parapsychology

Less well-informed PhD graduates, outside of their specialist area(s)

Multi-disciplinary nature of parapsychology

Increasing number of psychologists – increasing lack of other disciplines

Understandable, but worrying

Difficult to create ‘from scratch’

Existing academics need to ‘put head above parapet’

Once mainstream career is established, showing interest in parapsychology may be one of the most direct routes to winning wider-spread acceptance

Impact upon career progression?

Previously perhaps, but not today (in UK)

Morris: BAAS – President of Psychology Division

Graduates are successfully competing for jobs

Parapsychology staff progressing as are other colleagues

Includes to ‘upper’ academic and administrative posts

Bob Morris example

Speak to all who will listen

Demonstrate expertise in psychology of deception, etc.

Find mutual problem areas / topics of overlapping interest

Never be defensive; never be aggressive; occupy the middle ground

Conclusions

More academics versed in and pursuing parapsychological research in universities than at any other time in the history of psychical research/parapsychology

USA: Institute for Transpersonal Psychology (Tart, Braud; Hasting); University of California, Irvine (Utts); Cornell (Bem); Rollins College (Edge); University of Maryland (Braude)

Sweden: University of Gothenburg (Parker & Goulding); University Lund (Cardena); University of Stockholm (Dalkvist)

Most notable progress within the UK – need to grow numbers in other countries (Bologna Agreement may help European expansion)

Are we ‘there’ now (established, respectable, etc.)

…. of course not (but no longer a ‘sacrifice’)

BUT DEFINITELY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!