State, trait, and target parameters associated with accuracy in two online tests of precognitive remote viewing

Abstract

Precognition, the capacity to use non-ordinary means to accurately predict future events that are seemingly unpredictable, has been well established by examining performance on laboratory- based free-response precognitive remote viewing (PRV) tasks. However, advancements in the understanding of precognition mechanisms are slowed at least partly because state, trait and target parameters seem to have complex influences on task performance, necessitating relatively large sample sizes compared to other empirical phenomena studied in experimental psychology. Here we gather PRV data in two online experiments designed to examine the relationships between accuracy on PRV tasks and trait (sex-at-birth, gender, age), state (feelings of anxiety and unconditional love), and target (interestingness) parameters. Experiment 1 used a forced- choice, uncontrolled-time, self-judged PRV task for which 682 unpaid participants contributed a total of 5,432 trials. Experiment 2 used a free-response, controlled-time, independently judged PRV task for which 307 paid participants each contributed a single trial. In neither case were the participants pre-screened for PRV ability. The results revealed significant overall PRV performance in experiment 2 but not experiment 1. In experiment 1 (forced-choice PRV task), there was no effect of age on PRV performance, but sex-at-birth and independently rated target interestingness was highest among targets most likely to be correctly predicted, with a pre- registered analysis of target interestingness confirming this effect. In experiment 2 (free-response PRV task), gender had no effect on performance, but feelings of unconditional love and feelings of anxiety were correlated with higher accuracy, with the anxiety effect especially clear among women. Further, in experiment 2, independently rated target interestingness was again positively related to accuracy. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that sex-at-birth, gender, emotional state, and target interestingness all influence accuracy on PRV tasks, and that task characteristics mitigate some of these effects. Based on these results, recommendations for future research are provided.