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IMPROVING COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION BEIWEEN EUROPEAN
PARAPSYCHOLOGISTS: THE EURO-PA
Deborah L. Delanoy
Psychology Department
University of Edinburgh
Abstract
European parapsychologists face a set of inter-related problems which
militate against the existence of an
effective communication and
collaboration network between researchers. Primary among these problems
are language differences,
the physical isolation of many researchers,
the dwindling number of established research centers
and a lack of
funding.
In an attempt to combat some of these difficulties, European
parapsychological researchers have started to hold an annual conference,
the Euro-PA. The history and goals of the Euro-PA are discussed, and its
effectiveness in overcoming some of the problems
£
facing European
parapsychologists is considered. A questionnaire was circulated to
European parapsychologists collecting their opinions on a variety of
questions relevant to communication
and collaboration issues.
The
responses to this questionnaire are presented.
Acknowledgements: My thanks to John Beloff, Robert Morris and Caroline
Watt for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.
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Good communication and collaboration among researchers are of paramount
importance in any field of study. In a relatively small field such as
parapsychology, where researchers are often working in relative isolation
from their colleagues, the importance of a good communication and
collaboration network is greatly increased. Parapsychology, in common
with other disciplines,
publishes a variety of journals and has a
professional body,
the Parapsychology Association (PA), which sponsors
an annual convention,
among many other activities, which helps to
provide such a network.
But,
are these conventional means successful
in providing the necessary communication/collaboration network?
Researchers
in
parapsychology
living in
Europe confront a set of
inter-related problems, none unique to the European situation, which may
be seen as militating against the success
of these conventional
communication and collaboration strategies. Primary among these problems
are language differences, the physical isolation of many researchers from
each other and from established research centers, the dwindling number
of established research centers,
and,
last but by no means least, a
lack of funding. It is not the intention of this paper to examine these
various problems in detail. Instead, the reasons why these factors can
defeat
the
conventional
communication/collaboration means will
be
highlighted.
The efforts
being made by European parapsychologists to
combat these difficulties will be discussed, and data collected examining
the opinions of European PA members to a variety of communication and
collaboration issues will be presented.
The problems raised by the language differences found between researchers
living in different countries has recently been admirably addressed by
Carlos
Alvarado
(1989) in his article "The Language Barrier in
Parapsychology".
In this article Alvarado describes the various problems
which arise from language differences, the most important being that
researchers, particularly those for whom English is their first language,
are unaware of important work which has been and/or is being conducted by
non-English speaking researchers.
As Alvarado notes, such ignorance has
detrimental consequences:
"Clearly, a researcher should be aware of any publication in
his or her field of speciality, not only for complete coverage,
but also for practical reasons, such as having knowledge of
successful or failed replications, avoiding the repetition of
mistakes or problems found in previous work, and obtaining
ideas for further work." (Alvarado, 1989, p. 129)
These problems are compounded by the numerous languages spoken within the
relatively small geographic area of Europe. While many Europeans,
especially non-native English speakers, are commonly fluent in several
languages, there are few who have mastered all the languages which would
be necessary
to have
a
comprehensive knowledge
of all the
parapsychologically-relevant work published in Europe.
Another problem
created by language differences concerns more direct communication between
European parapsychologists.
Since
most Europeans know some English,
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this tends to be the language used when one is trying to reach a broad
European audience.
Hence, the European Journal of Parapsychology (EJP)
is published in English, as are a few other parapsychologically-oriented
European journals and bulletins (e.g., the Sychronicity Research Unit
Bulletin,
the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research and
Theoretical Parapsychology).
But, many Europeans, even those who are
multi-lingual, do not have a truly fluent command of English. This can
make direct communication between individual researchers very difficult,
as one may lack the necessary vocabulary with which to express one's ideas
and/or comprehend those of others. These difficulties can defeat attempts
at communication and make any form of collaboration exceedingly difficult.
Another problem which hinders communication and collaboration among
researchers involves the geographic isolation of researchers from each
other and from centers of research. The lone researcher often lacks the
facilities,
technical knowledge, and equipment necessary to conduct
research which would be considered competent by current,
justifiably
demanding, standards. And, as shall be discussed,
research centers
which could supply these are an increasingly rare commodity in Europe, as
elsewhere. Also the psychological effects of being isolated from one's
colleagues can be very demoralizing.
One needs colleagues who understand
the complexities of our field, with whom one can explore new ideas, etc.
Communicating with distant colleagues, even when no language barrier is
present, can still be a difficult undertaking. While modern technology
has provided us with some excellent communication aids, many individual
researchers do not have access to a fax machine or computerized electronic
mail, and the telephone can be prohibitively expensive. The postal
services can provide an affordable alternative, but it is nonetheless
a
very time-consuming and frustrating means of exchanging information,
as
it entails long delays between each communication.
The lack of
reseach centers in Europe is another major obstacle to
communication and collaboration between European researchers.
With the
recent demise of the Parapsychology Laboratory at
University in
the Netherlands,
the only remaining parapsychological research center,
headed and staffed by full-time personnel who are PA members/associates,
which has the facilities and equipment necessary to carry out a wide
variety of research is the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology, located at
the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Unfortunately Scotland, whilst
a very favorable location in many respects, is not centrally located with
respect to continental Europe. And regretably, the Koestler Chair does
not currently have the resources necessary to sponsor research in other
countries nor to have guest researchers come and work at Edinburgh. This
lack of reseach centers also results in employment opportunities within
the field of parapsychology in Europe being virtually non-existent ..
There are several other research groups in Europe. These groups generally
lack
the
resources
associated with a fully functioning research
laboratory,
and are most commonly
'staffed' by dedicated part-time
researchers,
who must look to other full-time occupations to support
themselves and their families.
Given the limited resources of these
groups, they tend, quite sensibly,
to concentrate upon fairly specific
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lines of
research.
This can sometimes have the
result of
further
isolating other researchers/research groups, who although
living in
relative proximity to the research group, have differing research
interests and/or perspectives. Nonetheless, despite the many obstacles
which confront such groups, they continue to play a very important role
in European research.
The lack of funding is undoubtably the greatest problem facing European
parapsychology, a problem shared by the field in general. This problem
underlies all the others mentioned thus far, and is the main contributor
to the difficulty of solving them. We lack the funds to hire translators
which could help resolve the problems raised by differing languages. And
while many European researchers are multi-lingual, being (relatively)
fluent in a language(s) does not necessarily involve having the skill
required to accurately translate carefully worded technical papers.
Furthermore,
most multi-lingual researchers are unable to support
themselves via parapsychology (due to lack of funding), and must turn to
other occupations for their
livelihood.
Thus, even those that do have
the ability usually do not have the time to act as translators, either
for their own work, or that of others.
The lack of funding also means
that most individual researchers and research groups lack the resources
necessary to conduct many types of work and are unable to communicate with
others as readily as is desirable.
Indeed,
most European researchers
find it impossible even to attend conferences which are not located in
their vicinity. The lack of research laboratories in Europe is a direct
consequence of the lack of funding,
which subsequently leads to the
virtual complete lack of employment opportunity within parapsychology in
Europe. Furthermore, lest we become myopic, it must be remembered that
in Europe generally,
there has been a marked reduction in funding for
academic and research purposes for all fields in recent years.
This
reduction, whilst affecting all fields, will be especially felt in areas
such as parapsychology which,
at the best of times, has never enjoyed
more than a subsistence level of funding.
One means of responding to these problems would be to hold meetings in
Europe specifically for European parapsychologists which would provide the
opportunity
for
greater communication
and
collaboration between
researchers. This idea was put forth by Martin Johnson, who proposed
creating a European branch of the PA,
in 1976 (Johnson, 1976). Johnson
(1978)
raised the issue again in 1978,
and in 1979 he announced the
formation
of
a
European regional
branch of the Parapsychological
Association (ERPA) (Johnson, 1979).
One objective of this group was to
arrange regional colloquia for PA members/associates, active in research,
where they could exchange ideas and receive constructive criticism of
proposed research projects. The other primary objective was to stimulate
and guide students and persons interested in carrying out some piece of
research but living in areas which are less integrated in the main stream
of parapsychological research' (Johnson, 1979, p.2). According to John
Beloff, who was elected to the working-committee, the ERPA met a few times
at other conferences (PA conventions and SPR conferences), but never held
a meeting independently of another organization. Apparently, even these
rather informal meetings ceased in the early 1980's (Beloff, 1990).
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The idea of having
a
specific meeting for European parapsychologists was
revived in the late 1980's. Again,
it was thought that a conference for
European PA members and researchers would help address some of the
communication/collaboration problems discussed above. The necessity for a
European parapsychology conference, in addition
to the annual PA
convention, stemmed from many European parapsychologists being unable to
afford either the time or the money to travel to the PA conferences when
they are held outside of Europe, as is usually the case. Thus, it was
decided to hold a three day conference for European PA members and
associates who were actively pursuing parapsychological research.
This
conference was brought about by the combined efforts of Jeff Jacobs and
Hans Michels of the Synchroncity Research Unit (SRU),
Dick Bierman of
Amsterdam,
and Robert Morris from the Edinburgh research unit.
The first meeting of European members/associates of the Parapsychology
Association (Euro-PA) was held during October 1988, in Holland.
The
format for
the first conference was that each participant was required to
make a brief presentation lasting no longer than fifteen minutes, which
would be followed by a lengthy discussion period of approximately 30
minutes. With the format being aimed at encouraging open discussion,
attendance was to be limited to 25 participants, and in fact, only 23
attended. Given the funding situation in Europe, conference costs were
kept to a minimum.
Holland was chosen as a venue as it occupies a
relatively central European location, thus being readily, and relatively
inexpensively, accessible to many Europeans. There were no registration
fees, and a very pleasant yet inexpensive venue was found for the
conference. Costs were further reduced by having participants make their
own bed, assist with serving food and clearing tables, and performing our
own bar catering. These measures resulted in an eminently affordable
conference, a necessary and much appreciated feature.
A wide variety of primarily theoretical and methodological topics were
discussed the first two days of the conference, and the half-day session
of the third day was devoted to
a roundtable
discussion about
inter-laboratory research (for further details of the conference see
Blackmore, 1989). The primary outcome of this first conference was that
communication between researchers was greatly improved. The lengthy
discussions which followed each presentation,
and continued during the
breaks, over meals, and at the bar into the not-so-wee hours of the
morning, resulted in all of us having a much better knowledge and
understanding of each other, our ideas and perspectives,
and our
individual problems in pursuing parapsychological research.
In short,
it was a great success and it was unanimously decided to hold a second
conference. Further, it is thought that most participants would agree
they left the conference with renewed enthusiasm and increased impetus to
continue pursuing their parapsychological
work,
despite the many
difficulties this entailed.
Before
holding the second
Euro-PA conference the Edinburgh research
unit circulated a questionnaire to all European members and associates of
the PA,
eliciting their opinions on a variety of issues concerning the
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organization of the Euro-PA and other topics relevant to European
parapsychological research. Of 58 questionnaires distributed, 28
were
returned. Those who returned questionnaires tended to be those most
actively engaged in conducting parapsychological research. The answers
received to the questionnaire were to be adopted as policy in those cases
where a clear majority opinion had been expressed, and in other cases,
these issues would be discussed and decisions made at a business meeting
which was held at the end of the next Euro-PA conference (which occurred
in November 1989). It should perhaps be mentioned, that at the second
annual Euro-PA meeting there was no restriction on the number of
people attending the conference, excepting that one had to be a member or
associate of the PA. The main points raised by this questionnaire which
are relevant to the issues of communication and collaboration related to
the main goals of the Euro-PA and its administration/coordination (see
Appendix 1 for a copy of the questionnaire and a summary of the responses
received).
The questions regarding administration and coordination were of primary
importance. A key question regarded whether European parapsychologists
should establish a
formal organization. A related question involved
whether to organize by country.
Given the many different
countries
represented by the Euro-PA members and the different,
sometimes
divergent,
research interests contained in each country, was it best to
have a committee established in each country, elected by the PA members
and associates of that country,
to coordinate communication within that
country,
or would it be preferable to have a central organizational
committee?
The responses to the above questions were clear cut.
Approximately 65 per cent of the responses favored having one central
committee whose membership would rotate annually, and only one respondent
wished to see committees organized by country. Furthermore, the majority
opinion was against establishing a formal organization, the primary
reason for this appearing to be the lack of resources to support such an
organization.
Other questions were asked regarding whether there should be an annual
conference. Twenty-five (89 per cent) of the respondents favored having
an annual conference. Other decisions regarding the conference were: the
short paper, long discussion format would be retained; the conference
would be open to all PA members, associates, affiliates and a limited
number of invited guests; each conference would focus on a wide variety
of
issues
as
opposed to one specific
topic;
conference
presentations would be refereed, the location of the conferences should
vary throughout Europe; and a major priority was that conference costs
should be kept as low as possible.
Other questions posed regarded fund-raising, public relations, inter-lab
research,
and publications. With regard to fund-raising, ten (36 per
cent) of the respondents were in favor of conducting fund-raising
projects, but only one was willing to help with the organization and
administration of such projects. It was ultimately decided that
fund-raising activites were outside the scope of an informal organization
with an annually rotating committee.
However,
it was stated at the
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business meeting following the second Euro-PA conference, that members
would make an effort to keep one another informed of possible funding
sources, and that this would continue to be a topic of discussion.
Indeed, an informative presentation on how to pursue funding for research
projects had already been presented at the conference (Parker, 1989) (for
further information on the second Euro-PA conference, see Watt, 1990).
The issue of public relations is complex given the many differences which
exist among the European countries lay populations. While there is a
generally high level of lay interest in parapsychology in Europe, this is
especially marked in some countries, with The Netherlands possessing
arguably the greatest degree of such lay interest. Other countries are
confronted by a most vociferous sceptical community, West Germany being a
notable example. Much of the discussion regarding public relations had
focused on the interest accorded our field by the lay population. To
address and support this population,
several members were in favor of
supporting a popular journal where formally conducted research, including
that published in our professional journals, would be re-written in a
manner accessible to laymen.
Here
again,
language difficulties
intervened.
It was feared that an English language journal would not
address the needs of many non-English speaking laymen, and producing such
a journal in several languages was obviously beyond the means of the
Euro-PA members. In the end, it was decided that the pursuing of both
public relations and publication activities per se were beyond the scope
of the Euro-PA
members .
However,
with regard to professional
publications, at the business meeting a motion to support the European
Journal of Parapsychology by publishing research in that journal was
strongly carried.
Twenty-one (75 per cent) of the respondents thought that inter-laboratory
research projects should be a priority of the Euro-PA,
with eleven
indicating interest in participating in such projects. Supporting this
idea is difficult due to many reasons previously discussed (e.g., lack of
labs, distance between researchers, lack of funds, etc.). Nonetheless,
means of making inter-lab (or inter-researcher, as the case may be)
research more of a reality continues to be a topic for active discussion,
and as shall be shortly discussed,
some
strides are occurring in that
direction.
One
final
comment
about
the Euro-PA
concerns
language. The
question of language
was
not raised in the questionnaire, as prior to
holding the first conference, it was decided that
English
would be
spoken at the conference,
and indeed,
all communications about the
conference, and the Euro-PA in general, have been in English. The reason
for this is simply that it is the language of which the greatest number of
Euro-PA members have at least some knowledge.
Yet, some of our members,
even those who are multi-lingual, find communication in English very
difficult. And as previously mentioned, not only is it difficult for some
to express themselves in English, also it can be difficult for others to
understand them, especially those for whom English is not their first
language.
Also,
there
have been a few instances where language
difficulties
have dissuaded researchers from attending the Euro-PA
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conferences. Furthermore,
it has been evident during the discussion
periods, that some conference participants find communicating their ideas
in English problematic, and therefore are less active in the discussions.
The possibility of hiring translators was raised, and rejected for
obvious financial reasons. Thus, for lack of
a better alternative,
English has been adopted as the language of the Euro-PA, although it
offers a less than ideal solution to the language problem.
Also,
language problems may be a contributing factor to an observed
north/south divide which has occurred at the two Euro-PA conferences held
thus far.
Most conference participants are from northern European
countries,
most notably Great Britain, West Germany and Holland, while
no one living in Spain or Italy (southern, Mediterranean countries) has
attended the conferences as yet. There are many possible reasons other
than languages differences for this apparent divide, such as differing
approaches/interests, standards and the more northernly-oriented location
(in The Netherlands) of the two previous
Euro-PA 's. Partially as an
attempt to address a few of these possibilities, the 1990 Euro-PA will be
held in France,
a country which occupies a central location having
boundaries with both 'northern and southern' European countries. If the
reason for the lack of southern participation is location, as opposed to
language,
it is hoped that the 1990 conference will attract attendees
from the southern countries. However, if language is an important factor
in the north/south divide, simply shifting the location of the conference
is likely to have little effect.
The primary problem facing European researchers has been identified as
a lack of funding. The Euro-PA has not been able to find a direct answer
to this problem, and, as discussed above, given its (lack of)
organization, it is not in a position to do so. The most the Euro-PA has
been able to accomplish thus far is to host very low cost conferences,
which makes the conferences more accessible to its members. Yet there are
still potential Euro-PA participants who, not living on the continental
mainland, find travel expenses a prohibitive factor. On occasion the PA
has provided travel grants for a limited number of overseas attendees who
would have otherwise been unable to attend the annual convention. Indeed,
this year the PA has dedicated $2000.00 for this purpose.
This is an
excellent
idea,
and it will be suggested at the business meeting of the
third Euro-PA (to be held in France in October 1990), that we adopt a
similar
scheme
which would be funded by charging all conference
participants a minimal fee on top of that required to meet conference
expenses.
However, there are several indirect ways in which the Euro-PA may have a
positive effect upon the European funding situation.
One such means
involves the Euro-PA's decision to invite researchers from other fields to
our conferences.
Parapsychology is an interdisciplinary field, and
through increased interaction with those from other related fields, there
may arise joint research projects which examine issues of concern to both
parapsychology and other fields.
Such projects may have better funding
opportunities than do projects concerned solely with parapsychological
issues. Another possible way the Euro-PA could serve to indirectly aid
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the funding situation,
is via the increased communication
with one
another that has resulted from the conferences. Most European countries
(those who are members of the European Economic Community or EEC) are
currently combining economic forces, and in 1992 many economic boundaries
which have previously separated these European countries will cease to
exist. One outcome of this is that research
proposals which involve
researchers and institutions in different EEC countries are currently
being encouraged by the various governmental bodies who normally finance
scientific research, via the offering of preferential consideration to
such joint
£
research proposals. The increased communication among
researchers stemming from the Euro-PA conferences may encourage the
formation of such joint research projects. Also, while this is purely
speculation, we may also shortly be finding similar funding encouragement
(from the EEC or specific governments) to conduct joint research projects
with those countries which were previously behind the 'iron curtain'.
Again, the Euro-PA offers an excellent means of bringing such researchers
together.
Language also remains a problem for which no immediate solution is
apparent. To this observer, it appears that most of the younger members
of the Euro-PA are increasingly fluent in spoken English.
Yet an
increasing level of fluency in English does not necessarily address many
of the problems that Alvarado (1989) noted, as writing and translating in
English can remain a very difficult and time-consuming task. It
should
also be noted that the recent crumbling of the 'iron curtain' could
increase the number of different languages encountered within European
parapsychology (and all the problems inherent therein), although at the
moment this is purely a manner of speculation.
In his article Alvarado (1989) suggests four strategies which could
minimize the problems raised by language differences,
namely:
1)
publishing in English the summaries, bibliographies and reviews of works
originally published in other languages; 2) English-language journals
actively seeking and encouraging publication
of the research of
foreign-language speakers; 3) developing an active translation policy
into English of works previously published in foreign languages; and, 4)
efforts on the part of the PA to encourage greater foreign participation.
These suggestions were aimed at the 'conventional' communication and
collaboration network, and they are all excellent strategies,
the
implementation of which would benefit all. However, as Alvarado notes
possible solutions such as conferences and translations may prove to be
expensive and, consequently, beyond the means of groups and individuals'
(pg. 134).
As has previously been discussed, they would certainly be
beyond the means of the European parapsychology community.
There is one problem area which,
in the opinion of the author, the
Euro-PA has successfully addressed. It has decreased the isolation of
individual researchers and of research groups from each other and, by
this means, greatly increased communication and collaboration between
individual researchers and also between the various research groups. As
has been previously stated, as a consequence of the conferences we know
one another better on a personal level, and have a much better
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understanding of each other's ideas and research perspectives. We are
able to exchange research ideas and learn of specific developments made by
members, who have thus far always expressed a willingness to share ideas,
software developments, etc. Also, it should be noted that this increase
in communication has not been restricted to those who attend the
conferences. Via the questionnaire, all Euro-PA members were able to
voice an opinion of what they wanted to see develop in European
parapsychology.
Indeed, over a third of the returned questionnaires (36
per cent) were received from people who have not attended a Euro-PA
conference, as of yet. Also,
all Euro-PA members are kept abreast of
developments via mailings,
regardless of whether they attend the
conference or return questionnaires. And, as reflected by our mailing
list, the number of Euro-PA members has increased by over twelve per cent
Europe, we hope we will see further
since the first Euro-PA conference.
With recent developments in Eastern
increases in the near future. In an
attempt to further aid communication, a directory is being compiled by
the Edinburgh research unit which will be sent to all Euro-PA members.
While similar to the PA directory,
it includes some additional
information,
such as whether members are
interested in conducting
research and/or corresponding with one another,
and whether they have
other areas of expertise relevant to but outwith parapsychology per se
about which they would be willing to offer help and advice.
It is hoped
that by
having
a
separate
directory,
focused
on
European
parapsychologists, members will be further encouraged to interact with
one another.
Thus, while many of the problems facing European parapsychologists remain
unaddressed,
the formation of the Euro-PA has done much to improve
communication and collaboration between researchers. There is still much
room for improvement, and it is hoped that future years will produce
greater interaction and
see the development of inter-lab research
projects. At the least, the Euro-PA has provided us with an opportunity
to improve some of the circumstances confronting European parapsychology,
and it places us in a better position to take advantage of other
opportunities which may develop.
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References
Alvarado, Carlos A. (1989) The language barrier in parapsychology.
Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 53, No. 2., pp. 125-139
Beloff, John (1990) personal communication
Blackmore, Susan (1989) 1988 Euro-PA Conference.
Parapsychology Review,
Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 5-7
Johnson,
Martin (1976) Some reflections after the P.A. Convention.
European Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 1-5
Johnson,
Martin (1978) Are we ready for the establishment of a European
branch of the
Parapsychological
Association.
European Journal of
Parapsychology, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 203-205
Johnson,
Martin (1979) The European
regional
branch
of
the
Parapsychological Association (ERPA)
is
now established.
European
Journal of Parapsychology, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-2
Parker, Adrian (1989) Applying for Research Funding in Parapsychology.
Paper presented to the Second Annual Euro-PA Conference, Vught, The
Netherlands, Nov. 10-12
Watt, Caroline (1990)
Euro-PA 1989.
Parapsychology Review, Vol. 21,
No. 2, pp. 10-11
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Appendix 1
The Euro-PA Questionnaire: The Questions and a Summary of the Responses
(the numbers given refer to the number of respondents answering the
specific question; 58 questionnaires were sent out and 28 were returned)
EURO-PA QUESTIONNAIRE
Name :
Country:
When completing this questionnaire, please feel free to write on the back
of the sheets, or include other sheets, if you need more space than has
been provided for your answers.
1. What should the main Euro-PA goals be?
Please tick as many of the
following as appropriate:
25
An annual conference
7
I
would be willing to help with the organization and
administration of the conference
10
Fund-raising
1
I
would be willing to help with the organization and
administration of fund-raising projects
18
Public relations/publications
15
I would be willing to help with public relations
15
I would be willing to help with publications
21
Inter-lab research projects
11
I
would be interested in participating in inter-lab
research projects
Other (please specify) :
4
generally supporting parapsych.or interdisciplinary research
1
education (workshops, etc. )
1
scientific recognition of European parapsychology
3
contact with each other
2.
What type of administration or coordination would be needed to achieve
these goals?
a.
Do
you
think there should be just one central Euro-PA
committee,
or
different committees for specific areas (conference
committee,
public relations committee,
etc)? If so, please specify
which committees you think should be established.
17
one central committee
7
few smaller committees
1
minimum possible committees
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b. Do you have any other suggestions as to means of organizing the
administration
and
coordination
of the Euro-PA?
low formal an
organization do you think we need?
Should it be organized by country as
well?
1
formal organisation similar to PA
3
formal European branch of PA
5
against a formal organisation
7
semi-formal organisation
12
against organising by country
1
for organising by country
1
affiliation with other scientific bodies
c. How should we attempt to ensure rotation of responsibilities
whilst maintaining continuity? Should we have an election at each annual
meeting?
16
in favour of annual election
2
infrequent election
2
postal vote
6
voluntary duties
1
decide Euro-PA aims first
3.
Would you normally be interested in attending an annual Euro-FA
conference? (please circle)
Yes
23
NO
2
if yes:
a. Please specify what the presentation. format should be for the
conference
(e.g.,
short papers with long discussion perixls, formal
papers with shorter discussion periods, etc. ). Should presentations be
refereed?
18
short papers, long discussion
3
long papers, short discussion
4
flexible format
10
in favour of refereed papers
5
against refereed papers
b. Please express your views on whether the number of attendees for
any given conference should be limited, whether non-PA members should
attend, whether any restrictions should be applied to who makes
presentations and/or enters
s into any discussion periods, and any
guidelines which should be used in deciding the above.
Attendance?
6
PA members only
14
PA members plus guests/invited speakers
4
anyone can attend
Present?
4
no restrictions
2
PA present, guests attend
3
firm chairmanship
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c. Would you like each conference to be centered around a specific
problem area of parapsychology? If so, please specify different areas
which you would like addressed by such a conference.
13
were against
4
partly/occasionally
2
specific topic linked to a general theme
1
healing
d. Should the conference be held in the same (centrally located)
country
each year, or
should its location vary between different
countries? Please list, in order of your preference, in what countries
you would like the conference to be held. Also specify any countries
which are located at such a distance from you that you would be unlikely
to attend the conference if it were to be held there.
15
varying locations
7
central locations
3
Holland, 1 England, 1 France, 1 Italy
1
choose location for special reason
e. Should low cost be a priority in deciding the conference venue or
would you prefer more expensive conference venues, facilities, etc.
18
in favour
2
low to medium cost
[. Please list in what months of the year it would be most convenient
for you to attend the conference, and when it would be least convenient:
Opinion very varied, but generally May to October most
favoured, November to April least favoured, with May and
October the two most popular months.
4. If you think that fund-raising should be a priority of the Euro-PA,
please provide further information as to any fund-raising strategies
and/or projects which you think may be successful.
Policy?
Projects?
5
against fund-raising as a priority
2
Euro-PA support individual fund-raising activ-
ities, by letters of support or coordinating
efforts to minimise interference
1
against use of professional fund raisers
1
ask successful fund-raisers
3
raffle of videos, RNGs, etc.
1
seek practical spin-offs in applied psychology
1
seek EEC support
2
ask international companies for support
1
use ESP/PK for small-scale gambling
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5.
Please provide further information regarding what, if any,
public
relations activities you think the Euro-PA should pursue. Also, it has
been suggested that the general public may appreciate having a 'journal '
available
which
presented high quality
research in a popular,
non-technical manner. Do you support this idea, and if so, would you be
willing to contribute popular versions of any technical articles you may
publish in other professional journals? As such a journal would need to
be published in different languages according to country, would you be
willing to help with the translation, editorial, and/or administrative
work involved in producing such a journal in your country?
Publicity?
3
occasional public/press releases
by Euro-PA
2.
use existing media
Popular Journal?
8
in favour
11
against
7
volunteer to help write or produce
Other?
1
help translate popular books
1
produce six-monthly newsletter
6.
Presently,
the European Journal of Parapsychology (EJP) is the
primary technically-oriented research journal published in Europe which is
aimed at an exclusively professional parapsychological audience. (We now
have the Journal of Theoretical Parapsychology as well. ) The future of
this journal is currently uncertain. Do you feel that the Euro-PA should
be involved in supporting the continuance of EJP, or some other similar
professionally-oriented journal? Would you be willing to contribute
to
such
publication
as
an author,
editor,
translator,
and/or
administrator?
Support EJP/
Technical Journal?
15
for supporting EJP or similar
technical journal
9
volunteer help to write or produce
Other?
1
combine EJP and JSPR resources
1
Euro-PA supports but doesn't run a
technical journal
1
reorient present journals to wider
field of abnormal psychology
technical journals
1
too many
1
EJP too dry
7.
What other comments do you have?
1
English should be the official Euro-PA conference language
1
Euro-PA should seek to affiliate with other scientific
and professional bodies
1
membership of Euro-PA should be through contribution to
development of parapsych. and election by council, as PA
1
Euro-PA members should lower barriers by writing articles
for other professions
1
1
research would suffer if time devoted to popular journal
too few parapsychologists to allow Euro-PA to be active in
public relations, fund-raising, publications
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1