Abstract

Discusses recent findings that a group of well-controlled ganzfeld studies failed to replicate the positive findings of earlier work. This challenges claims that a ganzfeld psi effect can be replicated across experimenters under methodologically stringent conditions. Problems with interpreting as strong evidence for psi other parapsychological meta-analyses of other studies and apparently consistent process-oriented findings are discussed. It is argued that if there is a replicable ganzfeld psi effect the procedures necessary to produce it have not been identified. It is proposed that process-oriented work be directed to the goal of identifying which studies should be able to replicate an above chance effect, and that these studies identified by their planned procedures before they have been conducted should provide the basis for future tests of replication. The organization of an international electronic-mail discussion of these issues among 41 researchers with a speci!al interest in ganzfeld psi is described.