Abstract

Presents an overview of 25 yrs of study with animals. In recent automated research, some aspect of an organism's environment is made subject to the outcome of a random number generator, and if the distribution of outputs is higher or lower than chance, it is attributed to psi ability on the part of the animal (e.g., a cat placed in a cold shed was initially able to obtain heat from a heat lamp at a better than chance level). Research with fish, cockroaches, lizards, incubating eggs, mice, rats, and gerbils is reviewed. It is argued that the existence of animal psi that is independent of human psi has not been conclusively proven. There is some evidence to suggest individual differences in psi ability within S pools and some reliability of scoring in certain Ss. It is recommended that first priority be given to experiments that control for experimenter effects. Studies requiring extensive procedures (e.g., surgery) on individual Ss are seen as unjustified. (42 ref)