UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS . ...........

, ..

BERKELEY DAVIS InVINE ' LOS ANCELES ' RIVERSIDE ' S A N DIECO . SAN FRANCISCO i ! S A h T h DATlnAIlA . SANTA CRUZ

............
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY ' DAVIS, C'ALIFOIINIA 95616

November 20, 1979

Mrs. L a u r a A . Dale, E d i t o r
J o u r n a l o f t h e American S o c i e t y o f . P s y c h i c a 1 R e s e a r c h
2 William S t r e e t '

C e n t e r e a c h , NY 11720

Dear L a u r a :

The l a s t i s s u e o f t h e J o u r n a l was e x c e l l e n t ! As a r e s u l t , I s h o u l d l i k e t o
s u b m i t t h e f o l l o w i n g as a l e t t e r - t o - t h e - e d i t o r .

C y b e r n e t i c Models o f P s i

I h a v e f o l l o w e d Dr. B r a u d e ' s (1979) a n d D r . S t a n f o r d ' s (1979) d i s c u s -

s i o n o f c y b e r n e t i c c o n t r o l models o f p s i w i t h g r e a t i n t e r e s t . While I

applaud D r . s t a n f o r d ' s e f f o r t s t o encourage t h e o r i z i n g o u t s i d e t h e cybernetic

m o d e l , I am i n a g r e e m e n t w i t h D r . B r a u d e i n n o t b e l i e v i n g t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e

is s t r o n g f o r r e j e c t i o n o f c y b e r n e t i c m o d e l i n g . I would l i k e t o b r o a c h

two o t h e r l i n e s o f t h o u g h t a s t o why t h e r e d o e s n o t seem t o be a n o b v i o u s

r e l a t i o n s h i p between a p p a r e n t c o m p l e x i t y o f PK t a s k a n d l e v e l o f r e s u l t s ,

o n e o f t h e m o s t c e n t r a l a s p e c t s o f B r a u d e ' s a n d ~ t a n f o r d l sd i s c u s s i o n .

W h i l e w e would c e r t a i n l y e x p e c t d e c r e m e n t s i n p e r f o r m a n c e when t h e com-

p l e x i t y o f a PK t a s k b e g i n s t o r e a c h o r e x c e e d t h e c u r r e n t l i m i t s o f a p e r -

s o n ' s PK c a p a c i t y , I would a r g u e t h a t we may n o t have c o l l e c t e d a n y d a t a

a b o u t t h i s e n d o f t h e PK c a p a c i t y c u r v e a t a l l . I n a r e c e n t l y published

t h e o r y on t h e n a t u r e o f t h e mind-body r e l a t i o n s h i p , ~ m e r g e n tI n t e r a c t i o n i s m

(Tart, 1979), I h a v e p o s t u l a t e d t h a t mind a n d body a r e two q u a l i t a t i v e l y

-,
d i f f e r e n t kinds o f r e a l i t y , not,reducible t o each other. Very b r i e f l y , p s i

" w i t h i n " t h e o r g a n i s m i s t h e o r d i n a r y mode o f mind-body interaction, i.e.,

mind " r e a d s " r e l e v a n t s t a t e s o f t h e b r a i n by c l a i r v o y a n c e o f n e u r a l p a t t e r n s

 T a r t -2

a n d a f f e c t s b r a i n f i r i n g p a t t e r n s by u s i n g PK o n s e m i - s t a b l e , quasi-random
. .

neural processes. I f t h e normal and h a b i t u a l mode o f PK u s e , t h e n , i s

a f f e c t i n g a v e r y complex, i n t e r a c t i n g , a n d d i s t r i b u t e d s e t o f n e u r a l p r o -

c e s s e s w i t h i n t h e b r a i n , t h e n e v e n o u r most complex. l a b o r a t o r y PK t e s t s t o

d a t e have b e e n i n c r e d i b l y s i m p l e . Thus l a b o r a t o r y PK t e s t s a r e a d i s t r a c t i o n

from ongoing "normaltt PK a c t i v i t y .and b y v i r t u e o f b e i n g s o s i m p l e may b e

hard t o do, r a t h e r l i k e a s k i n g a n e x c e p t i o n a l l y s k i l l e d c o n c e r t p i a n i s t ,

w h i l e h e o r s h e i s i n c o n c e r t , t o see i f he c a n a c t i v a t e a s i n g l e m o t o r

neuron i n h i s hand. It can be done, w i t h biofeedback t r a i n i n g techniques,

b u t i t i s hard t o go from what seems t o u s "easy" a n d " n a t u r a l " c o n t r o l

- .. + o v e r complex, ' c o o r d i n a t e d m u s c l e movements t o s u c h a n a p p a r e n t l y " b a s i c " a c t .

. A s D r . S t a n f o r d (1979) r e c o g n i z e s , s h i f t i n g t h e s o u r c e o f PK t o a men-
, .

t a l a s opposed t o a n e u r o l o g i c a l l e v e l d o e s n o t r e l i e v e u s o f t h e e v e n t u a l

need t o g e t more s p e c i f i c and d e v i s e : e m p i r i c a l l y t e s t a b l e ' p r e d i c t i o n s . The

o n l y PK-relevant p r e d i c t i o n I have made s o f a r from t h i s Emergent I n t e r a c -

t i o n i s t a p p r o a c h i s t h a t more complex, more " b r a i n l i k e " PK t e s t d e v i c e s

s h o u l d b e e a s i e r t o i n f l u e n c e t h a n s i m p l e m e c h a n i c a l d e v i c e s , b u t s u c h de-

v i c e s (which would b e o r d e r s o f m a g n i t u d e more complex t h a n c u r r e n t PK t e s t

d e v i c e s ) have y e t t o be b u i l t . I am c o n f i d e n t t h a t s p e c i f i c i t y c a n b e a d d e d

t o t h i s k i n d o f a p p r o a c h a s w e work on i t , b u t i t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y i n t h e

very e a r l y s t a r e s o f learning about psi.

I would a l s o a r g u e t h a t a l m o s t a l l l a b o r a t o r y PK d a t a c a n p r o f i t a b l y

be v i e w e d a s s a m p l e s f r o m t h e v e r y e a r l i e s t s t a g e s o f a p o t e n t i a l l e a r n i n g

o f improved PK p e r f o r m a n c e . The a r g u m e n t s I have made e l s e w h e r e ( T a r t , 1966;

- , 1976; 1 9 7 7 ) t h a t ESP s h o u l d b e l e a r n a b l e i n t a l e n t e d , m o t i v a t e d p e r c i p i e n t s

u n d e r c o n d i t i o n s o f i m m e d i a t e f e e d b a c k s h o u l d a l s o a p p l y t o PK. Although

f a s t ' o r i m m e d i a t e f e e d b a c k h a s b e e n common i n PK s t u d i e s , i t s h o u l d b e n o t e d

t h a t t h e g e n e r a l l e v e l o f PK b r o u g h t t o t h e t a s k i s g e n e r a l l y m i n i s c u l e .
 T a r t -3

I f t h e p s i q u o t i e n t ( T i m , 1973) o f a b o u t 10% t h a t I have e s t i m a t e d a s t h e

t a l e n t t h r e s h o l d f o r l e a r n i n g ESP w i t h immediate f e e d b a c k i s e x t r a p o l a t a b l e

t o PK l e a r n i n g , t h e n p r a c t i c a l l y a l l p e r s o n s e v e r t e s t e d f o r PK i n t h e l a b o r a -

t o r y have been w e l l below t h i s t h r e s h o l d and h a v e . n o t , a s p r e d i c t e d from t h e

l e a r n i n g t h e o r y a p p l i c a t i o n , shown any i n c r e a s e i n PK performance. I f talen-

t e d PK a g e n t s c o u l d be g i v e n immediate f e e d b a c k t t a i n i n g and l e a r n t o u s e

PK a d e q u a t e l y , however, we would be , i n a much b e t t e r p o s i t i o n t o d i s c u s s t h e

f i t o f various theories t o the data. The g e n e r a l l e v e l o f PK i n a n i f e s t e d i n

l a b o r a t o r y t e s t s t o d a t e i s u s u a l l y s o s m a l l (even i f s t a t i s t i c a l l y s i g n i f i -

c a n t ) a s t o h a r d l y be o u t o f t h e n o i s e r a n g e , and s o n o t s u i t a b l e f o r model
. a
- . + o r t h e o r y tes..ting. To u s e t h e a u t o m o b i l e a n a l o g y t h a t b o t h S t a n f o r d and Braude
b

draw o n , I do n o t b e l i e v e we have r e a l l y been t e s t i n g t h e a b i l i t y o f t h e d r i -

v e r t o c o n t r o l t h e ' c a r . a s i-t moves o v e r t h e r o a d , and w h e t h e r o r n o t i t f i t s

a c y b e r n e t i c c o n t r o l model: we have b e e n m e a s u r i n g t i n y v i b r a t i o n s i n t h e

c a r body a s t h e e l e c t r i c w i n d s h t e l d w i p e r s o c c a s i o n a l l y move o v e r a d r y

windshield. T h i n g s w i l l be q u i t e d i f f e r e n t when a t a l e n t e d d r i v e r l e a r n s

how t o s t a r t t h e e n g i n e and a c t u a l l y d r i v e down t h e road.

..
C h a r l e s T. T a r t

Department o f ~ s ~ c h o l o ~ ~

U n i v e r s i t y of C a l i f o r n i a

Davis, C a l i f o r n i a 95616
 . .
. .
References

Braude, S., The.observationa1theories.inparapsychology: A

critique. Journal of the American Society for Psgchical
Hesearch, 1979, 73, 349-366.
Stanford, R., The observational theories in parapsychology:
Some remarks on Dr. Braudels paper. Journal of the Amer-
ican Societg for Psgchical Research, 1979, 73, 424-428.
. .

Tart, C., Card guessing tests: Learning paradigm or extinc-

- . +.' tion: paradigm? Journal of the American Society for Psy-
chical Research, 1966, 60, 46-55. . '

Tart, C., Learning to Use Extrasensory Perception. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press, 1976.-
Tart, C., Towardconsc.iouscontrol of psithrough immediate
feedback training: Some considerations of internal pro-
cesses, Journal of the American Society for Psychical Re-
search, 1977, 71, 375-407.
Tart, C., An emergent-interactionist understanding of human
consciousness. In B. Shapin & L. Coly (Ms.), ~rain/~ind
and Parapsychology. N e w York:Parapsychology Foundation,

Timm,,U., The measurement of psi. Journal of the American So-

ciety for Psychical Research, 1973, 67, 282-294.