Questions & Answers
Browse all 15 questions from the
Scientific Perspectives on Parapsychology study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer — select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
Which experimental protocol, famously championed by Joseph Banks Rhine at Duke University in the 1930s, utilized a specific deck of cards to test for extrasensory perception?
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A
The Ganzfeld experiment
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B
The Zener card test
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C
The remote viewing protocol
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D
The sheep-goat effect study
2
In modern parapsychology, what does the term 'Ganzfeld' refer to in the context of sensory deprivation research?
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A
A method of inducing hypnotic suggestion
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B
A technique involving homogeneous visual and auditory stimulation
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C
A statistical analysis tool for meta-analysis
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D
A physiological measurement of bio-electromagnetic fields
3
What is the primary critique leveled by skeptics against the 'psi' results reported in the 1994 Bem and Honorton meta-analysis of Ganzfeld studies?
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A
Lack of randomization in participant selection
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B
Failure to replicate under stringent pre-registered protocols
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C
Inconsistent use of the Zener deck
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D
Bias in the selection of published versus unpublished data
4
Which major scientific organization, founded in 1976, is primarily dedicated to investigating paranormal claims from a scientific and evidence-based perspective?
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A
The Parapsychological Association
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B
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
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C
The Rhine Research Center
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D
The Society for Psychical Research
5
The 'Sheep-Goat Effect,' a concept coined by Gertrude Schmeidler, proposes that performance in ESP tasks correlates with what variable?
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A
Age and education level
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B
A participant's belief in the existence of psi
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C
The participant's physiological stress levels
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D
Gender-based cognitive differences
6
What is the 'file drawer problem' in the context of parapsychological meta-analyses?
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A
The tendency to exclude studies with negative results from the literature
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B
The physical inability to access historical experimental data
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C
The loss of original data files from early 20th-century studies
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D
The mislabeling of raw data by research assistants
7
The 'Project Star Gate,' a classified US military program, was primarily concerned with researching which phenomenon?
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A
Near-death experiences
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B
Remote viewing
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C
Psychokinesis on electronic circuitry
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D
Reincarnation memory
8
Which statistical phenomenon describes why rare, unexplained events are often mistakenly attributed to paranormal causes by the human brain?
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A
Regression to the mean
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B
The Law of Truly Large Numbers
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C
The gambler's fallacy
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D
Confirmation bias
9
What was the primary scientific conclusion regarding the 1970s investigations into Uri Geller's alleged psychokinetic abilities at the Stanford Research Institute?
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A
His abilities were validated by double-blind testing
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B
His results were attributed to stage magic techniques and trickery
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C
The results were deemed inconclusive due to instrumentation error
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D
The SRI researchers concluded he possessed unique physical properties
10
In parapsychology, what is defined as the 'declining effect' or 'decline effect'?
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A
The reduction in statistical significance as experimental protocols become more rigorous
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B
The tendency for psychic ability to vanish as a subject ages
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C
The decrease in popularity of parapsychology in academia
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D
The loss of interest by participants in long-term studies
11
What is the 'White Crow' strategy often cited by proponents of parapsychology?
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A
The search for a single verifiable case to disprove the universal impossibility of psi
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B
The use of white-noise generators to detect anomalous energy
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C
The requirement for at least one skeptical observer in every trial
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D
The belief that psychic phenomena only occur in laboratory settings
12
Which psychological concept is frequently used to explain the 'Cold Reading' technique often mistaken for genuine psychic ability?
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A
The Barnum Effect
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B
The Dunning-Kruger Effect
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C
The bystander effect
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D
The phantom limb phenomenon
13
The term 'Psi' was introduced by psychologist Berthold Eric Schwarz and popularized by Robert Thouless to encompass what?
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A
Only telepathic communication
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B
Both ESP and psychokinesis
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C
The subconscious mind's ability to heal
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D
The study of near-death experiences
14
What rigorous standard, now common in clinical trials, is frequently cited as missing or poorly implemented in historical parapsychology studies?
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A
Informed consent
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B
Pre-registration of hypotheses
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C
Open-peer review
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D
The placebo effect
15
Which prominent physicist co-authored 'The Physical Review' paper that investigated the remote viewing claims of Targ and Puthoff, subsequently facing severe criticism for methodological flaws?
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A
Richard Feynman
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B
Harold Puthoff
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C
Edwin May
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D
Ray Hyman
