CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3

1.
SRI Internationa
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
November 1985
White Paper
PSI COMMUNICATIONS EXPERIMENTS (U)
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
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PHASE I (U)
(U) Phase I will examine the effects of increasingly delayed feedback on performance.
The proposed experiments will be performed using a computerized binary search program
(b.search), which can easily be linked to a "real world" coin flip task and requires no
extensive evaluation. Feedback will be provided on a trial-by-trial basis according to the
following schedule:
(1) Twenty-five binary choice trials with immediate feedback
(2) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by one
hour.
(3) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by two
hours.
(4) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by four
hours.
(5) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by 24
hours .*
(U) If degradation in functioning does not occur as a result of increasingly delayed
feedback, then the global feedback experiments proposed in Phase II can be initiated.
If degradation of performance does occur, then the decay rate should be
identifiable, and it should be possible to determine whether the decay rate is subject-specific
or universal. In any case, to ameliorate this situation, Phase I proposes that a new technique
known as bracketing, which has been hitherto untested, be applied in order to provide closure
for experiments in which degradation of performance has occurred because of feedback delay.
Specifically, bracketing refers to the performance of identical experiments with immediate
feedback directly before and after the delayed feedback experiment, in the same manner as
"on-line" check experiments have been employed previously in operational remote viewing.
The hypothesis under consideration is that these bracketing experiments may serve to provide
* We have chosen 25 trials in each condition, because at the observed hit rate of 75%,
25 trials are sufficient to demonstrate significance.
5
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
space/time anchors for the subject, thereby defining a discrete location in space and time for
reception of the delayed feedback information. This experimental series will also yield
information, incidentally, concerning the veracity of the "on-line check," prior claims being
that on-line checks with known targets can accurately provide calibration for those
experiments in which feedback is delayed or nonexistent!
If
bracketing is unable to address the delayed feedback signal attenuation problem, then other
new concepts (presently uknown, but perhaps focussing on making the feedback more of an
"event") will have to be applied successfully before the Phase II series of global feedback
experiments can be initiated. *
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*It is logical to assume that if trial-by-trial delayed feedback experiments fail, global
feedback experiments will also fail, because they entail delayed feedback by definition.
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
INTRODUCTION (U)
{ One potentially important aspect of psi phenomena is that no methods exist
currently for shielding or jamming the psi "signal". The implications of this are quite
apparent -- namely, that a psychoenegetic method of communication may be impervious to
interference and may represent, therefore, a truly secure channel for message-sending.
Traditionally, the major impediments to deploying a psi communications system
have centered on the difficulties inherent in receiving highly analytical information
accurately and reliably. From a basic research perspective it is believed, at present,
that degredation of psychoenergetic reception of analytical information may be at least in part
attributable to:
·
The analytical nature of the information, which has traditionally been a
difficult area to address
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Delay in presentation of feedback to the percipient
·
Displacement phenomena occurring as a result of requiring the percipient
to perform multiple tasking with global (as opposed to trial-by-trial)
feedback.
" The aim of this white paper is to explore how these problems in psi
communication might be addressed by research, with the ultimate aim, if successful, of
conceptually replicating Czech researcher Milan Ryzl's experiments, in which five three-digit
numbers were correctly identified by subject Pavel Stepanek (cf. Appendix A). The area of
psychoenergetic message-sending is not being addressed currently by any of SRI's clients
given the relative dirth of information
we would like to propose a
shift in emphasis towards foreign experimental replication by initiating a careful investigation of
the Ryzl experiment.
(U) Of the three fundamental "problem areas" ennumerated above, the analytical
nature of the information is, perhaps, the easiest to address in communications
experiments -- i.e., the psychological biases inherent in the reception of numbers can be
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
FEEDBACK EXPERIMENT
trial-
by-trial
feedback
work?
no
PHASE !
yes
yes
new
concept
work?
more
new
concepts?
yes
no
no
stop
no
global
feedback
work?
yes
PHASE II
yes
more
new
concepts?
new
concept
work?
no
yes
no
stop
PHASE III
1
screening
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FIGURE 1 FLOW CHART DEPICTING RESEARCH PATHS FOR
DEPLOYMENT OF PSI MESSAGE-SENDING CAPABILITY
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
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PHASE I (U)
(U) Phase I will examine the effects of increasingly delayed feedback on performance.
The proposed experiments will be performed using a computerized binary search program
(b.search), which can easily be linked to a "real world" coin flip task and requires no
extensive evaluation. Feedback will be provided on a trial-by-trial basis according to the
following schedule:
(1) Twenty-five binary choice trials with immediate feedback
(2) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by one
hour.
(3) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by two
hours.
(4) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by four
hours.
(5) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by 24
hours .*
(U) If degradation in functioning does not occur as a result of increasingly delayed
feedback, then the global feedback experiments proposed in Phase II can be initiated.
-
1
If degradation of performance does occur, then the decay rate should be
identifiable, and it should be possible to determine whether the decay rate is subject-specific
or universal. In any case, to ameliorate this situation, Phase I proposes that a new technique
known as bracketing, which has been hitherto untested, be applied in order to provide closure
for experiments in which degradation of performance has occurred because of feedback delay.
Specifically, bracketing refers to the performance of identical experiments with immediate
feedback directly before and after the delayed feedback experiment, in the same manner as
"on-line" check experiments have been employed previously in operational remote viewing.
The hypothesis under consideration is that these bracketing experiments may serve to provide
=
* We have chosen 25 trials in each condition, because at the observed hit rate of 75%,
25 trials are sufficient to demonstrate significance.
5
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
FEEDBACK EXPERIMENT
trial-
by-trial
feedback
work?
no
PHASE I
yes
yes
1
new
concept
work?
-
more
new
concepts?
yes
no
no
stop
no
global
feedback
work?
yes
PHASE II
yes
more
new
concepts?
new
concept
work?
no
yes
no
stop
PHASE III
screening
1
FIGURE 1 FLOW CHART DEPICTING RESEARCH PATHS FOR
DEPLOYMENT OF PSI MESSAGE-SENDING CAPABILITY
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
4
.

Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
-
PHASE I (U)
(U) Phase I will examine the effects of increasingly delayed feedback on performance.
The proposed experiments will be performed using a computerized binary search program
(b.search), which can easily be linked to a "real world" coin flip task and requires no
extensive evaluation. Feedback will be provided on a trial-by-trial basis according to the
following schedule:
(1) Twenty-five binary choice trials with immediate feedback
(2) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by one
hour.
(3) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by two
hours.
(4) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by four
hours.
(5) Twenty-five binary choice trials with feedback delayed in each case by 24
hours .
(U) If degradation in functioning does not occur as a result of increasingly delayed
feedback, then the global feedback experiments proposed in Phase II can be initiated.
If degradation of performance does occur, then the decay rate should be
identifiable, and it should be possible to determine whether the decay rate is subject-specific
or universal. In any case, to ameliorate this situation, Phase I proposes that a new technique
known as bracketing, which has been hitherto untested, be applied in order to provide closure
for experiments in which degradation of performance has occurred because of feedback delay.
Specifically, bracketing refers to the performance of identical experiments with immediate
feedback directly before and after the delayed feedback experiment, in the same manner as
"on-line" check experiments have been employed previously in operational remote viewing.
The hypothesis under consideration is that these bracketing experiments may serve to provide
* We have chosen 25 trials in each condition, because at the observed hit rate of 75%,
25 trials are sufficient to demonstrate significance.
5
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
-

:
Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003800340001-3
space/time anchors for the subject, thereby defining a discrete location in space and time for
reception of the delayed feedback information. This experimental series will also yield
information, incidentally, concerning the veracity of the "on-line check," prior claims being
that on-line checks with known targets can accurately provide calibration for those
experiments in which feedback is delayed or nonexistent!
If
bracketing is unable to address the delayed feedback signal attenuation problem, then other
new concepts (presently uknown, but perhaps focussing on making the feedback more of an
"event") will have to be applied successfully before the Phase II series of global feedback
experiments can be initiated .*
-
*It is logical to assume that if trial-by-trial delayed feedback experiments fail, global
feedback experiments will also fail, because they entail delayed feedback by definition.
6
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Approved For Release 2000/08/10 : CIA-RDP96/00789R003800340001-3
1
DISCUSSION (U)
! The applications-oriented research proposed in this paper has been aimed
ultimately at a statistically streamlined, conceptual replication of Milan Ryzl's work with
subject Pavel Stepanek. Given the encouraging beginning we have made in a pilot series with
one subject, to whom trial-by-trial feedback was administered on a binary choice task, it is
important to determine how such functioning is maintained in the global, delayed feedback
arena that is typical of the !
world in general. Some of the parameters that might
be uncovered in the course of the proposed research program may also have important
implications for other areas of-psychoenergetic applications such as remote viewing.
| Should the Ryzl experiment be able to be replicated in the proposed fashion,
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the implications for af
reliable psi comunications system are apparent in terms of
| potential.
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