McMoneagle, J. W., & May, E. C. (2014/2004). The possible role of intention, attention and expectation in remote viewing. In E.C. May, & S.B. Marwaha, (Eds.). Anomalous cognition: Remote viewing research and theory, pp. 368-376. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Joseph W. McMoneagle has participated in 44 on-camera demonstrations of remote viewing 35 of whic... more Joseph W. McMoneagle has participated in 44 on-camera demonstrations of remote viewing 35 of which would be considered as successful; that is, if they had been assessed by the usual blind rank-order method, they would have easily been ranked correctly in first place. The question we address here is, "What, if anything, is special about these cases?" Under US Government funding, the research track record of what is known as STARGATE was exceptional. Perhaps the success could be attributed to the near exclusive use of highly talented special participants. However, we speculate here that the ill-defined concepts of intention, attention, and expectation were/are major contributors to the success of application-oriented, laboratory, and media-centered trials. As an illustration of these points, we provide a detailed description of the protocol and results of a recent demonstration trial conducted for the National Geographic Channel that was carried out in LFR's remote viewing laboratory in Palo Alto, California. The producers and staff of Pioneer Productions dedicated one individual for four days just to prepare for the shoot. Her duties were to learn about what constitutes a good remote viewing target, identify 6 targets within 25 km from the laboratory, prepare two sets of target packs, identify a neutral 3 rd party individual to secure these materials, and act as beacon person during the trial. The full team included a camera crew of three and a single producer. At the time of the trial all people present with the viewer were blind not only to the individual randomly selected target but also to the complete six-fold target pack. The response was blind rank-order assessed on-camera, and the correct target was matched as 1 st place. The qualitative correspondence with the intended site was excellent and typical of the 35 of 44 other media trials provided by McMoneagle. This single trial serves as an exemplar of an ideal application of intention, attention, and expectation.
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Papers by Edwin C May
In an otherwise standard AC protocol, we displayed feedback tachistoscopically to receiv ers. The cognitive awareness of the feedback experience was minimal, and 2 of the 8 intensities used for visual display of the feedback were below subliminal threshold. We hypothesized a number of possible relationships between feedback intensity and AC quality, including one based on precognition (i.e., the data originated from the future feedback). Four viewers contributed 40 trials each (5 at 8 different intensity bands). Using a sum-of-ranks statistic, 2 viewers produced independently significant evidence of remote viewing (i.e., the binomial probability of 2 hits in 4 trials with an event probability of .05 is .014). None of the data showed significant correlation of feedback intensity with AC quality. This result is discussed with regard to precognition in general and the troublesome unfalsifiability aspect of truly goal-oriented precognition.
May, E. C., Hawley, L., Chaganti, V., & Ratra, N. (2014). Natural anomalous cognition targets: A fuzzy set application. The Journal of Parapsychology, 78(2), 195.
to a ranking system. The combined Spearman's correlation coefficient for these variables for the seven studies was 0.211 (Z = 3.22, p = 6.4 x 10-4) with a 95%
confidence interval of 0.084 to 0.332; whereas the same data for a correlation with the entropy itself were 0.028 (Z = 0.37, p = 0.36; 95% confidence interval= -0.120
to 0.175). This strongly suggests that AC is mediated via some kind of a sensory system in that all the normal sensory systems are more sensitive to changes than
they are to inputs that are not changing. I find that a standard relationship for the change of entropy of a binary sequence appears to provide an upper limit to
anomalous cognition functioning for free response AC and for forced-choice Zener card guessing.
Applications International Corporation, US-Government-sponsored programs, inspired the design of the Shannon entropy experiments that were conducted in the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory in 1993 and beyond. Potential target confounds are also discussed in the context of these trials.
demonstrated strong evidence for anomalous cognition (AC), as well as a significant
correlation between the quality of the AC with the gradient of Shannon
entropy, but not with the entropy itself. We created a new target pool and
a more sensitive analytical system compared with those of earlier studies. We
then invited five experienced receivers (i.e., experiment participants) to contribute
15 trials each. In addition to the usual rank-order analysis, two other
methods were used to assess the quality of the AC. The first of these was a 0
to 7 rating scale that has been used in the earlier studies. The second, a figure
of merit, was based on a fuzzy-set encoding of the targets and responses. The
primary hypotheses were (a) that a significant correlation would be seen between
the figure of merit quality assessment and the gradient of Shannon entropy
for the associated target and (b) that the correlation using the rating assessment
would be consistent with earlier findings. A secondary hypothesis
was that the figure of merit quality would not correlate with the entropy of
the associated target. All hypotheses were confirmed. Our results are part of
the growing evidence that AC is mediated through a sensory channel.
for an intrinsic target property. An intrinsic target property is one that is completely
independent of psychological factors and can be associated solely with a physical property of the target. We analyzed the results of two lengthy experiments that were conducted from 1992 through 1993 and found a significant correlation (rs = 0.337, df = 31, t = 1.99, p <= 0.028) with an absolute measure of the quality of the anomalous cognition (AC). In addition, we found that the quality of the AC was significantly better for dynamic targets than for static targets (t= 1.71, df= 36,p:<= 0.048). The 1993 correlation with the change of entropy replicated a similar finding from our 1992 study. Using Monte Carlo techniques, we demonstrate that the observed correlations were not due to some unforeseen artifact with the entropy calculation, but perhaps the correlation can be accounted for because of the difference in some other measure between static and dynamic targets. The Monte Carlo results and the significant correlations with static targets in the 1992 study, however, suggest otherwise. We describe the methodology, the calculations, and correlations in
detail and provide guidelines for those who may wish to conduct similar studies.
retro-causation. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics provides an explanation for the apparent single direction of time at the macroscopic level although time is reversible at the microscopic level. In a preliminary study, I examined seven anomalous cognition (a.k.a., ESP) studies in which the entropic gradients and the entropy of their associated target systems were calculated, and the quality of the response was estimated by a rating system called the figure of merit. The combined Spearman’s correlation coefficient for these variables for the seven studies was 0.211
(p = 6.4×10-4) with a 95% confidence interval for the correlation of [0.084, 0.332]; whereas, the same data for a correlation with the entropy itself was 0.028 (p = 0.36; 95% confidence interval of [-0.120 – 0.175]). This suggests that anomalous cognition is mediated via some kind of a sensory system in that all the normal sensory systems are more sensitive to changes than they are to inputs that are not changing. A standard relationship for the change of entropy of a binary
sequence appears to provide an upper limit to anomalous cognition functioning for free response
and for forced-choice Zener card guessing. This entropic relation and an apparent limit set by the entropy may provide a clue for understanding macroscopic retro-causation.
in a putative signal transducer; (b) cortical processing of the signals, mediated by a cortical hyper-associative mechanism; and (c) cognition, mediated by normal cognitive processes, leading to a response based on retrocausal information. The model is comprehensive, brain-based, and provides a new direction for research requiring multidisciplinary expertise.
In an otherwise standard AC protocol, we displayed feedback tachistoscopically to receiv ers. The cognitive awareness of the feedback experience was minimal, and 2 of the 8 intensities used for visual display of the feedback were below subliminal threshold. We hypothesized a number of possible relationships between feedback intensity and AC quality, including one based on precognition (i.e., the data originated from the future feedback). Four viewers contributed 40 trials each (5 at 8 different intensity bands). Using a sum-of-ranks statistic, 2 viewers produced independently significant evidence of remote viewing (i.e., the binomial probability of 2 hits in 4 trials with an event probability of .05 is .014). None of the data showed significant correlation of feedback intensity with AC quality. This result is discussed with regard to precognition in general and the troublesome unfalsifiability aspect of truly goal-oriented precognition.
May, E. C., Hawley, L., Chaganti, V., & Ratra, N. (2014). Natural anomalous cognition targets: A fuzzy set application. The Journal of Parapsychology, 78(2), 195.
to a ranking system. The combined Spearman's correlation coefficient for these variables for the seven studies was 0.211 (Z = 3.22, p = 6.4 x 10-4) with a 95%
confidence interval of 0.084 to 0.332; whereas the same data for a correlation with the entropy itself were 0.028 (Z = 0.37, p = 0.36; 95% confidence interval= -0.120
to 0.175). This strongly suggests that AC is mediated via some kind of a sensory system in that all the normal sensory systems are more sensitive to changes than
they are to inputs that are not changing. I find that a standard relationship for the change of entropy of a binary sequence appears to provide an upper limit to
anomalous cognition functioning for free response AC and for forced-choice Zener card guessing.
Applications International Corporation, US-Government-sponsored programs, inspired the design of the Shannon entropy experiments that were conducted in the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory in 1993 and beyond. Potential target confounds are also discussed in the context of these trials.
demonstrated strong evidence for anomalous cognition (AC), as well as a significant
correlation between the quality of the AC with the gradient of Shannon
entropy, but not with the entropy itself. We created a new target pool and
a more sensitive analytical system compared with those of earlier studies. We
then invited five experienced receivers (i.e., experiment participants) to contribute
15 trials each. In addition to the usual rank-order analysis, two other
methods were used to assess the quality of the AC. The first of these was a 0
to 7 rating scale that has been used in the earlier studies. The second, a figure
of merit, was based on a fuzzy-set encoding of the targets and responses. The
primary hypotheses were (a) that a significant correlation would be seen between
the figure of merit quality assessment and the gradient of Shannon entropy
for the associated target and (b) that the correlation using the rating assessment
would be consistent with earlier findings. A secondary hypothesis
was that the figure of merit quality would not correlate with the entropy of
the associated target. All hypotheses were confirmed. Our results are part of
the growing evidence that AC is mediated through a sensory channel.
for an intrinsic target property. An intrinsic target property is one that is completely
independent of psychological factors and can be associated solely with a physical property of the target. We analyzed the results of two lengthy experiments that were conducted from 1992 through 1993 and found a significant correlation (rs = 0.337, df = 31, t = 1.99, p <= 0.028) with an absolute measure of the quality of the anomalous cognition (AC). In addition, we found that the quality of the AC was significantly better for dynamic targets than for static targets (t= 1.71, df= 36,p:<= 0.048). The 1993 correlation with the change of entropy replicated a similar finding from our 1992 study. Using Monte Carlo techniques, we demonstrate that the observed correlations were not due to some unforeseen artifact with the entropy calculation, but perhaps the correlation can be accounted for because of the difference in some other measure between static and dynamic targets. The Monte Carlo results and the significant correlations with static targets in the 1992 study, however, suggest otherwise. We describe the methodology, the calculations, and correlations in
detail and provide guidelines for those who may wish to conduct similar studies.
retro-causation. The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics provides an explanation for the apparent single direction of time at the macroscopic level although time is reversible at the microscopic level. In a preliminary study, I examined seven anomalous cognition (a.k.a., ESP) studies in which the entropic gradients and the entropy of their associated target systems were calculated, and the quality of the response was estimated by a rating system called the figure of merit. The combined Spearman’s correlation coefficient for these variables for the seven studies was 0.211
(p = 6.4×10-4) with a 95% confidence interval for the correlation of [0.084, 0.332]; whereas, the same data for a correlation with the entropy itself was 0.028 (p = 0.36; 95% confidence interval of [-0.120 – 0.175]). This suggests that anomalous cognition is mediated via some kind of a sensory system in that all the normal sensory systems are more sensitive to changes than they are to inputs that are not changing. A standard relationship for the change of entropy of a binary
sequence appears to provide an upper limit to anomalous cognition functioning for free response
and for forced-choice Zener card guessing. This entropic relation and an apparent limit set by the entropy may provide a clue for understanding macroscopic retro-causation.
in a putative signal transducer; (b) cortical processing of the signals, mediated by a cortical hyper-associative mechanism; and (c) cognition, mediated by normal cognitive processes, leading to a response based on retrocausal information. The model is comprehensive, brain-based, and provides a new direction for research requiring multidisciplinary expertise.
The Star Gate Operational Remote Viewing Program A Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collection Platform. (From Volume 4: Operational Remote Viewing: Memorandums and Reports. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019)
The Star Gate Program Over the Years (1972–1995): A Synopsis. (From Volume 4: Operational Remote Viewing: Memorandums and Reports. (pp. 60-75). Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019)
Abstract
The year 1972 saw the beginnings of the SRI program in psi research under the stewardship of physicists Dr. Harold E. Puthoff and Mr. Russell Targ. As a result of Army counterintelligence interest, what started as funding for a single research project by a government agency, went on to become the largest, sustained research program in the history of psi research, spanning a period of 22 years, eventually closing in 1995. Best known by its last nickname Star Gate, the program was funded by a variety of executive branches, agencies, and the military and intelligence communities of the US Government, for a total of $19.993 M. The program focused on the application of, and investigation into psi phenomena—both informational, that is passively gathering information (precognition and real-time remote viewing) and causal (psychokinesis), that is, interacting with the physical world by mental means alone. About 11067 documents—approximately 82518 pages—related to this formerly classified program were declassified since 2000 and have been available for review by researchers and the general audience. In the professional psi literature, generally, the Star Gate program is sometimes passed off in a couple of sentences. Beginning 2012, we started the task of putting together the SRI-SAIC research effort, which have been recently released as The Star Gate Archives: Reports of the US Government Sponsored Psi Program –1972-1995 (McFarland). It comprises four volumes titled:
• Volume 1: Remote Viewing, 1972-1984 (2018)
• Volume 2: Remote Viewing, 1985-1995 (2018)
• Volume 3: Psychokinesis (2019)
• Volume 4: Operational Remote viewing: Government Memorandums and Reports (2019)
In this article, we present an overview of the Star Gate program, focusing on what I have learned from the massive exercise of looking into these archives. Needless to add, this four-volume series is the final word on Star Gate, as it is (1) based entirely on the complete set of documents released, including some unclassified documents not available in the government released archives, (2) prepared under the scrutiny of Dr. Edwin C. May, who joined the SRI program in 1976, was the director of the program since late 1985, to its closure in 1995 at SAIC, (3) has the stamp of approval from Dr. Jack Vorona, Deputy Director Science and Technology, Defense Intelligence Agency, and (4), the former Secretary of Defense, William S. Cohen has written a foreword for the series.