Two international experiments attempted to replicate a controversial precognition study by Daryl Bem. The experiments reversed the usual cause-effect sequence: participants responded to stimuli before a prime appeared, testing whether response times would be longer for incongruent stimuli. The preregistered confirmatory hypothesis was not supported in either experiment. Exploratory analyses in Experiment 1 found a significant effect only among English-language participants, not those using translations.
A 3-week meditation program improved heart rate variability, galvanic skin resistance, and perceived stress scores in medical students with moderate baseline stress, shifting autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance. Among 30 undergraduates (mean age 21), those with moderate stress showed significant decreases in heart rate and stress scores and increases in high-frequency heart rate variability and skin resistance within 3 weeks, with no further changes at 6 weeks. Students with low stress showed similar but non-significant trends. The findings suggest meditation benefits individuals with moderate or high stress within 3 weeks, supporting its inclusion in medical curricula.