Abstract

Conducted a study to determine how various factors influence subjective perception of success in a chance setting. Since a Schmidt random number generator was used as the chance device, it was possible to determine if actual scoring differed across experimental conditions. 51 undergraduates participated in an experiment that varied type of imagery strategy, presence/absence of visual feedback, and presence/absence of physical contact with the Schmidt machine. Results replicate and extend previous findings suggesting that, in the presence of visual feedback, a goal -oriented imagery strategy (in which the desired outcomes are imagined) leads to higher psychokinesis scoring than does a process-oriented imagery strategy (in which the processes leading to the desired outcomes are imagined). In the absence of feedback, the outcome of these 2 strategies was reversed, resulting in a significant interaction between imagery strategy and feedback. The physical contact variable (whether the experimenter or the S pressed the machine button) had no effect on scoring. (37 ref)