Parapsychology in the University Setting

1. Parapsychology in the University Setting by Professor Deborah Delanoy

2. 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

3. 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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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?

11. 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)

12. 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)

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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?

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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)

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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!