Abstract

The experimenter effect, in which some experimenters are consistently more successful than other experimenters in obtaining evidence for psi, continues to be a major challenge for modern parapsychology. The term psi -conducive experimenter has been adopted to refer to a consistently "successful" experimenter, whereas an experimenter who has been consistently "unsuccessful" in obtaining psi effects is typically described as psi-inhibitory. 50 researchers (aged 30-89 yrs) were identified who had acted as an experimenter in at least 1 published parapsychology experiment. Of these, 40 completed and returned questionnaire booklets that included the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and a 6-item questionnaire asking about attitudes towards psi. They were also asked to indicate whether they had ever practised a mental discipline and whether they had ever had any personal psi experiences. Participants were also asked to rate the 50 named researchers according to whether they considered them to be psi-conducive or psi-inhibitory. Significant correlations were found between psi-conduciveness and belief in one's own ESP ability, belief in one's own psychokinesis (PK) ability, belief that ESP is possible, and belief that ESP can be demonstrated in an experiment.