Abstract

Strategies are described for advancing conceptual development and replicability by testing conceptual hypotheses. Emphasis is given to creating and testing hypotheses to explain specific findings (e.g., that psi believers perform better than nonbelievers). This work often includes testing hypotheses that predict specific interactions as governing the phenomenon. Preferred statistical methods are noted for studying Person * Situation interactions and for examining mediational hypotheses. Cautions are provided about potential interpretational problems with pre-post designs, within-subjects methodology, and multiple psychological testing in a single session. Nonpsi performance-based indices derived from the ESP task itself are discussed as potentially useful predictors of ESP performance.