Imagery Cultivation vs. Noise Reduction: Psi from Opposing Perspectives

Abstract

The ganzfeld technique has been with us since the 1970s (Braud et al., 1975; Honorton & Harper, 1974), and it is arguably the most prevalent and successful free-response technique in current use in parapsychology (e.g., see Storm et al., 2010). However, some scholars (e.g., Alvarado, 1998; Braud, 2005; Hyman, 2010; Scimeca et al., 2001) have posited arguments that cast doubt on whether the ganzfeld does, in fact, induce an ASC, and whether it is psi-conducive. These problems are encompassed by the broader issue of whether the passive noise reduction method is the best means of facilitating the psi function. It may be the case that active cognitive processes are themselves a means of eliciting psi. Unless these issues are addressed in the near future the status of parapsychology is undermined by inconsistency. Based on our findings thus far (Rock et al., in press; Storm & Rock, 2009), we predict that parapsychology in the future will see two complementary experimental paradigms sitting side by side, each to be used in equal measure by psi researchers: ganzfeld and our so-called imagery cultivation (IC) model.