Parapsychologist

Parapsychological Association

Parapsychologists gathered within the Parapsychological Association, organization being part of AAAS. The parapsychologists work within Laboratoires of parapsychology. There exist approximately 200 parapsychologists who work in academic world at present, of which only one quarter works full-time only in this field. They publish their work in Revues parapsychology specialized and meet each year at the time of the Congrès of Parapsychological Association.

The parapsychologists obey a professional ethics charter implying of the strict standards in particular relating to the installation of research, the publications and the aspects deontologic.

Research of the parapsychologists

Research of the parapsychologists carries on the Extrasensory perceptions (PES) and on the Psychokinèse (km No). The description of their reality even is partly the object of research of the parapsychologists. This situation places these researchers in a at the very least delicate situation.

Concerning the parapsychologists making of research according to an approach expérimenale, their objective is to set up research making it possible to highlight, and to study, the PES and the km No. With this intention, they test subjects under controlled conditions which aim to avoid any potential skew, by using in particular the scientific methods and the statistical tools of experimental psychology. The various studies carried out (see note 2) on the scientificity of the methods of the parapsychologists showed that they were quite as valid as the methods used in other more current scientific disciplines. Moreover, the field of parapsychology also has specific fact that the researchers, in this field, tend to open more with the various scientific fields, being given the varied origins of which they come (See)

At present, a certain consensus was reached within the community of the researchers, skeptics and parapsychologists (cf communicated joined of Hyman & Honorton 1986, Hyman & Utts 1995), working in the field of parapsychology, namely that significant statistical effects had been highlighted during the experiments of parapsychology in controlled conditions. The different ones currently relate to the interpretation of these results: some think that these results are the fruit of skew and subtle artefacts, while others think that these results highlighted interactions psi well (see note 3). The main difficulty explaining these divergent interpretations originates in, according to its partisans, the fact that there do not exist traditional theoretical bases subjacent with the effects observed. This aspect makes particularly difficult the interpretation of these results and explains of good part criticisms whose parapsychologists are the object.

The parapsychologists work according to a Approche universalist (by studying not selected subjects) or a élitiste Approche (with selected gifted subjects).

The protocol more used by the parapsychologists is the Ganzfeld.

To become parapsychologist

To become parapsychologist, it is generally advised to obtain a doctorate in psychology or physics and to then make an additional training within a laboratory of parapsychology. (Cf C. Alvarado, '' Parapsychology ace has profession ''; J. Micrometer caliper, '' Education in Parapsychology '')

However, it is important to stress that it is particularly complex to become parapsychologist, in particular for the following reasons:

the universities proposing of the doctorates of parapsychologies are rare (there is not in France),
the stations of research in parapsychology are far from numerous,
It acts of a field little known and which is often the object of criticism virulent,
the existence even of the phenomena studied by the parapsychologists is prone to sharp controversies.

In France, there does not exist any university station of research in parapsychology. The few French researchers in this field work generally voluntarily within foundations like the Institute Métapsychique International

Parapsychogues become skeptics

Parapsychologists gave up research in parapsychology, not estimating that the actual position of research suggested the interest to continue front research. They then became skeptics.

Susan Blackmore
Louis Savva

In its article Why I cuts given up , Susan Blackmore explains why it left the field of research in parapsychology.

One in the same way finds several skeptics become parapsychologists, it is besides the case of the majority of the members of the parapsychological association.

Not to confuse with

It will be also noticed that there exists another frequent use of the term parapsychologist as the FAQ of parapsychology suggested by the Parapsychological Association underlines it, and who indicates that:

" many directories and Internet sites speak about " parapsychologues" to appoint astrologers, indicators, magicians or médiums. It is about an inappropriate use of the " term; parapsychologue". Parapsychological Association is officially affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement off Science (AAAS), the most important scientific association of the world. In comparison, the organizations of indicators or the telepathic ones are not members of the AAAS, because it is not a question of associations scientifiques."

And also specifies that:

" In spite of the speech of the media, parapsychology is not the study of all more that seems odd or strange, not than it is not concerned with the UFO, the Astrologie, the Cryptozoologie, the Paganisme, the Vampire S, the Alchimie or the Sorcellerie. Many scientists were wary of parapsychology because this term was associated with an enormous variety of mysterious phenomena, subjects at the borders and of Pseudoscience S. parapsychology is also often bound, wrongly once again, with the Médium S of entertainment, with the magician S and the " investigators of the paranormal" car-proclaimed. Lastly, of the " experts psychiques" parapsychologists car-are entitled, which we do not do pas."

These distinctions are generally little known general public and lead to frequent amalgams (see note 4) as for the qualifications and to the nature of the activities of the parapsychologists.

For this reason, the requirement of replicability is one of the pillars of the scientific methodology, which could never be abandoned, no matter what the Parapsychologue S. say some.

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