Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Lab

The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) program was established at Princeton University in 1979 by Robert G. Jahn, then Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, to pursue rigorous scientific study of the interaction of human consciousness with physical devices, systems, and processes common to contemporary engineering practice. Its methods were controversial and at the end of February 2007, it closed its doors.^[1] From 1979 until its closing, interdisciplinary staff of engineers, physicists, psychologists, and humanists conducted a comprehensive agenda of experiments and attempted the development of complementary theoretical models to enable better understanding of the role of consciousness within physical reality. A number of academics have called the PEAR data into question stating that the PEAR methodologies were flawed and questioning their interpretation of the collected data.^[2]

Research

Psychokinesis

PEAR employed the use of random number generators (RNG), to test for psychokinesis. In these experiments, subjects attempted to mentally alter the distribution of the random numbers, in an experimental design that is functionally equivalent to getting more "heads" than "tails" while flipping a coin. In the RNG experiment, design flexibility can be combined with rigorous controls, while collecting a large amount of data in very short period of time.^[3]

Meta-analyses of the RNG database have been published every few years since appearing in the journal Foundations of Physics in 1986.^[3] PEAR founder Robert G. Jahn and his colleague Brenda Dunne stated that the effect size in all cases was found to be very small, but consistent across time and experimental designs, resulting in an overall statistical significance. A recent meta-analysis on psychokinesis was published in Psychological Bulletin, along with several critical commentaries.^[4][5] It analyzed the results of 380 studies. While the authors reported an overall positive effect size that was statistically significant, it was small relative to the sample size and could be explained by publication bias.^[5]

Remote viewing

Following the termination in 1995 of the U.S. government espionage program Stargate Project, which failed, in the government's eyes, to document practical intelligence value,^[6] PEAR sought to replicate the SAIC and SRI experiments. PEAR created an analytical judgment methodology to replace the human judging process that was criticized in past experiments. The researchers felt that the results of the experiments were consistent with the SRI experiments.^[7]

Closing of the laboratory

PEAR closed its doors at the end of February 2007 with its founder, Robert G. Jahn, concluding that after tens of millions of trials they had demonstrated that human intention has a slight effect on random-event machines.^[8] "For 28 years, we’ve done what we wanted to do, and there’s no reason to stay and generate more of the same data,"^[1] Jahn said. Jahn felt that the work showed, on average, people can shift 2–3 events out of 10,000 from chance expectations.^[8]

These tiny deviations from chance have failed to convince mainstream scientists who feel that the effect is inconsistent and that relatively few negative studies would cancel it out.^[4] Physicist Robert L. Park said of PEAR, "It’s been an embarrassment to science, and I think an embarrassment for Princeton".^[1] Park maintains that if a coin is flipped enough times, even a slight imperfection can produce more than 50% heads, and that the "tiny statistical edges" PEAR reported are the result of statistical flaws.^[8]

Staff

• Robert G. Jahn, Program Director.
• Brenda J. Dunne, Laboratory Manager. Dunne is formally trained as a psychologist and serves as the Laboratory Manager of the PEAR lab.
• York H. Dobyns, Analytical Coordinator
• Lisa Langelier-Marks, Administrative Assistant
• Elissa Hoeger, General Factotum

Emeritus members

• G. Johnston Bradish, Technical Coordinator
• Arnold L. Lettieri Jr., Communications Director
• Roger D. Nelson, Operations Coordinator

Spin-offs

• International Consciousness Research Laboratories^[9]
• Psyleron, Inc.^[9]
• Society for Scientific Exploration^[9]
• Global Consciousness Project

References

Further reading

• Robert L. Park. (2008). Superstition : belief in the age of science. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691133553. 
• "ESP laboratory closes its doors". BBC. 2007-02-12. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6353941.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
• Reed, JD (2003-03-09). "Mind Over Matter". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/09/nyregion/mind-over-matter.html. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 
• "ESP Research Lab Closes After 28 Years". All Things Considered (National Public Radio). 2007-02-12. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7371765. Retrieved 2009-09-25. 

External links

• PEAR home