Abstract

Examined the research on the relationship between performance in ESP tasks and the psychological trait of extraversion in forced-choice and free-response studies. The meta-analysis was comprised of 60 independent studies, 17 independent investigators, and 2,963 Ss. In the forced-choice ESP studies, the ESP/extraversion relationship appeared to be an artifact of Ss" knowledge of their ESP performance upon their responses to the extraversion measure and was attributed to studies where Ss completed the ESP task prior to extraversion assessment. In free-response studies, a significant ESP/extraversion relationship existed which was attributed to extraversion testing preceding the ESP task in the majority of the studies. Results suggest that the relationship between extraversion and ESP in the forced-choice studies is probably artifactual and that there is a significant ESP/extraversion relationship in the free-response studies. A new confirmation of the ESP/extraversion rel!ationship using the Extraversion/Introversion Scale of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is discussed.