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As well as performing magic, I am also studying psychology and as part of the course we do a unit on anomalystic psychology and paranormal phenomena. We take a sceptical view and look at the subject as non-believers.

I wont go into this, but the situation has arisen that I have been asked (as a mentalsit) to try and fool the infamous Ganzfeld experiments as an exercise to prove how they couldn't be fully reliable. Only problem is that I can't think of a suitable way of acheiving it.

Can anyone here give me any hints
Thankyou
xx

Osterlind's ESP stack springs to mind. Could you not do a drawing duplication and really build up the impossibility?

Incidentally, I was watching a video and reading comments about the experiment for hours last night. Perhaps I picked up on your concern from all the way over here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw_O9Qiwqew

The dude is meticulous and, as a skeptic, I'm not sure what to make of it. I've seen really smart people commenting on possible interpretation flaws and arbitrary assignments of what can be considered significant. I've seen a bunch of pseudoskeptics talking trash where trashtalk was not justified in any way.

I think it is important that you ask the people exactly what they want from you. It seems like they are looking for a justification to discredit the experiment, but the Ganzfeld experiment is, it seems from what I've seen about it, beyond fraud at the moment. Even if you do succeed in trickery, it wouldn't mean anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w86hDdUD03o

The description of this video brings up an important point about skepticism. Too many of us find it hard to accept that we can't actually explain something.

That said, I guess I'll PM you.

Edantes wrote:As well as performing magic, I am also studying psychology and as part of the course we do a unit on anomalystic psychology and paranormal phenomena. We take a sceptical view and look at the subject as non-believers.

I wont go into this, but the situation has arisen that I have been asked (as a mentalsit) to try and fool the infamous Ganzfeld experiments as an exercise to prove how they couldn't be fully reliable. Only problem is that I can't think of a suitable way of acheiving it.

As far as I know (which is little), the experiment you want to subvert involves a sender and a receiver. The receiver undergoes a level of sensory deprivation.

My advice would be to use senses not being deprived. Send Tomo a PM and a relatively small amount of money (less than I think he deserves, slightly more than a night in the pub) and all your problems will be solved.

T.

I guess it depends if the sender is in on it. I'm inclined to second Ted's answer

Get the subject naked and inside a Faraday cage.