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SIRI
STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA 94025
(415) 326-6200
October 6, 1975
Mr. Dennis Flanagan, Editor
Scientific American
415 Madison Avenue
New York, New York
10017
To the Editor:
We would like to take this opportunity to reply to the comments of
Martin Gardner in his October 1975 critique of our NASA research
report, "Development of Techniques to Enhance Man/Machine Communi-
cation".
The research pertains to the use of an automatic, solid state machine
which randomly selects from among four hidden targets while a subject
tries to choose which target was selected. The machine provides
immediate feedback as to the machine state, and rings a bell for
correct subject responses, to allow him to try to use this feedback
and reinforcement to improve his scores. Of the 147 volunteer sub-
jects, six were identified whose learning performance was significant
at the 0.01 level or better; the binomial probability of his occurring
by chance is less than 0.004. At the other extreme, no subject had
a negative learning slope of equal significance. In our report we
took these preliminary findings to indicate that, "there is evidence
for paranormal functioning from our work with the ESP teaching machine".
. This evidence includes one subject to achieved scores at the p < 10-6.
level of significance in his 2500 trials.
Gardner's major criticism of the experiments is based on an error in
fact, namely his misconception of the manner in which data were
collected. Subjects made runs of 25 trials. These trials were auto-
matically printed on continuous fan-fold paper tape, which carries a
permanent record of every trial, machine state, and trial number from
1 to 25 for each run. After a series of eight to ten runs, the sub-
ject would bring the continuous fan-fold tape to one of the experi-
menters for entry into the experimental log. The tapes were always
delivered to us intact with all runs recorded. They were never torn
into "disconnected bits and pieces" as Gardner asserts (implying that
an individual could, post hoc, select which runs he turned in). Since
we were interested in evidence of learning within each day's session,
it was of particular importance to us to have the complete intact tape.
We think that it is important for the reader to be aware that in .
Gardner's own book, "In the Name of Science," he makes his position
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Mr. Dennis Flanagan, Editor
Scientific American
New York, New York
October 6, 1975
on research in this area quite clear. He introduces his chapter on ESP.
with the statement, "There is obviously an enormous irrational prejudice
on the part of most American psychologist -- much greater than in England,
for example -- against even the possibility of extra sensory mental powers.
It is a prejudice which I myself, to a certain degree, share."
Russell Targ
Harold Puthoff
Electronics and Bioengineering Laboratory
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