Ranking of stimuli that evoked memories in significant others after exposure to circumcerebral magnetic fields: correlations with ambient geomagnetic activity.
J N Booth, J C Charette, Michael A. Persinger
Perceptual and Motor Skills October 2002 DOI: 10.2466/pms.2002.95.2.555 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | 15 pairs of emotionally involved men and women |
| Key findings | Increased global geomagnetic activity (k values 0 to 5) during testing correlated moderately and significantly with more accurate ranking of the stimulus postcards, a result similar to a previous study. The authors suggest that alleged paranormal phenomena may involve processes produced by altering electroencephalographic correlates of consciousness with circumcerebral counterclockwise weak magnetic fields, and that these processes may be enhanced when global geomagnetic activity is increasing. |
Abstract
To identify means to enhance the laboratory production of alleged paranormal phenomena, 15 pairs of men and women involved emotionally were tested by male and female experimenters who were not familiar with the hypothesis that ambient (geomagnetic) activity could modulate this production. While the female of the pair was exposed to six different patterns of complex magnetic fields designed to affect states of consciousness, the male wrote his reminiscences about shared experiences evoked by a postcard randomly selected from a collection of five. Increased global geomagnetic activity (k values between 0 and 5) at the time of the experiments was significantly and moderately correlated with the more accurate ranking of the stimulus cards. These results were similar to those of a previous study. We suggest that alleged paranormal phenomena involve processes that might be produced by experimentally altering the electroencephalographic correlates of consciousness with circumcerebral applications of counterclockwise weak magnetic fields. However, these processes may be enhanced if global geomagnetic activity is increasing during the periods of exposure.