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This article is from the Scientific Skepticism FAQ, by Paul Johnson Paul@treetop.demon.co.uk with numerous contributions by others.

2.6: Could psi be inhibited by the presence of skeptics?

Psychic researchers have noted something they call the "shyness
effect" (or more grandly "psi-mediated experimenter effects"). This
is invoked to explain the way in which many subjects' psychic powers
seem to fade when exposed to careful scrutiny and proper controls.
Often it is alleged that having a skeptic in the audience can prevent
the delicate operation of psi.

In its most extreme form this hypothesis becomes a "catch-22" that
makes any results consistent with a psi hypothesis. This renders the
hypothesis unfalsifiable and therefore unscientific. Less extreme
forms might be testable.

 

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• prev: 2.5: Does dowsing work? (scientific skepticism)
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• next: 2.7: Why don't the skeptics test the real psychics?

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