Wishing with dice.

Abstract

Since 1943 a number of experimental papers have appeared dealing with an effect called "psychokinesis." In a typical experiment, one or more gaming dice were thrown, mechanically or otherwise, while S wished the dice to come to rest with certain faces or combinations of faces uppermost. Under some conditions, with certain Ss, the dice favored the desired faces to a statistically significant degree. The effect was found to persist after the introduction of safeguards, including the use of a motor-driven cage to avoid direct human contact with the dice.In the preparation of the early experimental data for publication, an unusual distribution of scores was noticed. It was found that S's scoring rate tended to drop off quickly after the beginning of an experimental session, but was raised by any short rest period or interruption during the session. Such scoring declines have

A review of psychokinesis (PK).

“…In the first and only positive results from the ASPR by Dale (1946), with an excess of hits reported, there was no significant change in scoring rate. On the other hand, in the study by McConnell et al (1955), a small but significant QD was reported although the total number of hits was within chance expectancy. In a number of studies, declines of one sort or another have been noted, but did not conform to the lawful decline.…”

“…The score for the pooled data for this organized section was -26.3 hits for the 8,534 die throws Overlapping with the night tests, was the day series carried out in 1948-50 with photographic recording of 393 wishing 5s. The results by the criterion of target hits was entirely negative (McConnell et al, 1955). This study with the Duke dice machine was repeated by Dale and Woodruff in 1951-52 in a combined PK-ESP test with 108 5s and 62,208 dice readings and the results were insignificant with respect both to hits and declines (Murphy, 1952b).…”

“…The position was given in three papers (Rhine & Humphrey, 1944a, 1944bRhine, Humphrey, & Pratt, 1945). McConnell et al (1955) agreeing with this approach, specifically states that "From an o'perational point of view, one might say that the psychokinetic effect is those two effects when they appear without a known physical mechanism to explain their occurrence" (p. 269).…”

“…Of the later tests, only one deserves attention in terms of the QD hypothesis. Overlapping in time with McConnell's (1955) night series, the more extensive day series was carried out in 1948-50 with 393 volunteer 5s (McConnell et al, 1955). For onethird of the trials, one pair of dice was cup thrown and for the remainder another pair was machine rotated.…”

Report on paper by Edward Girden on psychokinesis.

“…To begin with something concrete: McConnell, Snowden, and Powell (1955) (Department of Biophysics, University of Pittsburgh) undertook to replicate a series of Duke University studies showing (a) excess of hits where wishing for the various die-faces, (b) decline effects. They used a motor driven cage which whirled dice against a system of internal baffles, and as the cage came to rest at the end of each 180° turn, automatically photographed them.…”