Parapsychology in the University Setting by Professor Deborah Delanoy.
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Transcript of Parapsychology in the University Setting by Professor Deborah Delanoy.
Parapsychology in the University Setting
by
Professor Deborah Delanoy
Overview
Objective: ‘Impressionist’ perspective of parapsychology in a university setting
Disclaimer!
Brief university historical overview
Independent research centres: the alternative to university-based research
Pros and Cons
Pros and cons of parapsychology in university settings (UK perspective)
Summary observations/recommendations
University History
SPR Founders:
William Barrett founding member (Royal College of Science in Dublin; Professor of Physics
3 Fellows of Trinity College, Cambridge
1st SPR President: Henry Sidgwick (moral philosopher)
Frederick Myers & Edmund Gurney (Sidgwick’s students)
Eleanor Balfour (1st Principal of Newham College, Cambridge)
8 Fellows of the Royal Society
2 Nobel Laureates (Lord Rayleigh; JJ Thompson)
Continental History
Charles Richet: University of Paris (Nobel Laureate; physiologist); 1880’s+ (a founder of IMI; 1914)
Remy Chauvin: Sorbonne (animal behaviouralist)
Hans Bender: IGPP/ University of Freiburg (psychologist: Chair in Border Areas of Psychology and Mental Health) 1954
WHC Tenhaeff: University of Utrecht (Psychology PhD thesis: Clairvoyance and Empathy’, 1933)
Martin Johnson: University of Utrecht (1st University ‘Chair of Parapsychology’, Psychology Department; 1974
Sybo Schouten
Erlendur Haraldsson: University of Iceland
US History
William James (Harvard University)
Gardner Murphy (Columbia University)
John Coover (Stanford University)
William McDougal (Harvard/Duke University)
Joseph Banks (& Louisa) Rhine: Duke University
Gertrude Schmeidler (City University of NY)
Ian Stevenson: Head of Psychiatry Dept, University of Viriginia;
Chester Carlson bequest $2m (1967) established Carlson Chair & the Division of Personality Studies at UVA
Bruce Greyson (2002) Carlson Professor of Psychiatry & Director of (renamed) Division of Perceptual Studies/DOPS Carlos Alvarado, Nancy Zingrone, Emily Cook-Kelly; Ed Kelly; Jim Tucker
Robert Jahn: PEAR (Princeton University)
Roger Nelson & York Dobyns
Rhinean Era: Duke University1928
Duke Parapsychology Laboratory (1935)
Journal of Parapsychology (1937)
Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man (FRNM)1965 (founded with help of Carlson & other benefactors)
Institute for Parapsychology (Research & Education)
Rhine Research Centre (RRC) 2002
Rhine recruited Duke graduate students and other interested researchers
Gaither Pratt (lead researcher at Rhine’s lab; UVA)
William Roll: Psychical Research Foundation & West Georgia College
Rhea White: Founder/Director EHE Network & Newsletter
Robert Morris: University of California at SB & Irvine; Syracuse University; Edinburgh University (Koestler Chair)
Rex Stanford: St. John’s University
Charles Honorton: Maimondes Medical Centre NYC & PRL
John Palmer: JFK University Graduate Programme (’77-’81); FRNM/RRC
Richard Broughton: FRNM; University of Northampton
Carlos Alvarado, Nancy Zingrone (DOPS/UVA)
Independent Research Centres/ProgrammesGreatest activity: 1960’s -1990’s
FRNM/Institute for Parapsychology (1965 – 2002) RRC (2002 – present)
Psychical Research Foundation (PRF) (1960’s – present) Bill Roll
Dream Lab at Maimondes Medical Centre (1962- 1979) Montegue Ullman, Stanley Krippner, Irvin Child, Charles Honorton
Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL) (1979-1990) Charles Honorton, Rick Berger, George Hansen, Ephraim Schecter
Mind Science Foundation (MSF) 1958- Hemut Schmidt, William Braud, Marilyn Schlitz (’70-90’s)
Science Unlimited Research Foundation (SURF) 1985-89 Rick Berger & Gary Heseltine
SRI/SAIC Remote Viewing programmes (1970’s – 1995) Hal Putoff (SRI), Russell Targ (SRI); Edwin May (1976-95);
Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS); 1971 – Marilyn Schlitz & Dean Radin
Independent Research CentresPros
Pros:
Very productive
Major advances
Dream research (free-response methodologies)
Remote Viewing work & theoretical spin-offs
Ganzfeld developments
Meta-analysis
DMILS research
Presentiment
Freedom and flexibility in choosing research topics/approaches
Enables a degree of risk-taking and innovation not always associated with traditional research grants
Independent Research CentresCons
Lack of career structure / job security
Dependant on external funding source(s)
Keeping the interest of benefactors
Difficulty in attracting new funds
Value of donations/bequest diminish over time
Low salaries
Relationships with mainstream colleagues
Isolated from ‘the corridors of science’
Lack of exposure / no venue for ‘normalisation’
Education of next generation?
UK: Remained Embedded in Universities
John Beloff
Queen’s University, Belfast (1950’s -1963)
University of Edinburgh (1963 -1985)
PhD students: Adrian Parker; Richard Broughton, Deborah Delanoy
Carl Sargent (late 1970 – early 80’s); Cambridge University
Susan Blackmore (late 70’s – 2002)University of Surrey (PhD); University of West of England
Robert Morris (1985 – 2004): Professor of the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology; Dept. of Psychology; Edinburgh University
Caroline Watt & Pete Lamont; Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU)
Morris LegacyWin from Within – Long-Term Strategy
Morris supervised 27 PhD students to completion (1st generation)
18 working at universities; 12 at UK universities
9 PhD students completed PhDs who are 2nd generation (Morris’ grandchildren)
working at UK universities
12 further ‘2nd generation’ PhD students whose studies are on-going in UK universities
4 PhD ‘3rd’ generation current on-going
Parapsychologically trained staff have academic positions at 16 UK university (number is continually growing)
Positive Factors Associated with Universities
Provision of a stable career structure
Skills are valued, respected and required
Access to, training and development of next generation
Researchers embedded in mainstream environment; normalisation of topic
Provision of a stable income/career structure
Full-time academic, substantive posts
Supported by ‘normal’ university funding Freedom from problems associated with funding from bequests & benefactors
Clear career structure
Recognised advancement criteria
Enables short-, medium- and long-term planning to achieve
objectives
Respected profession (if not lucrative…)
Lends (subtle) legitimacy by association to research topics
Normalises subject in the eyes of the public
Bequeaths authority
Provides opportunities to pursue own research agenda
Skills are valued, respected and required
Parapsychologists are (generally) skilled methodologists
Teaching of research methodology key aspect of many undergraduate degrees
But not what many academics most like to teach…
Critical thinking skills
Exchanges with critics; sociology of science; etc.
Parapsychology research students should have mainsteam area(s) of expertise – be multi-faceted
e.g., individual differences
Topic is inherently interesting to students
Helpful in recruiting students
An ‘accessible’ approach to research methods coursework
Provides interesting research illustrations for many areas
Access to, training and development of next generation
Access to a large, reasonably intelligent, young population
Openness
Rebelliousness
Many opportunities to enter parapsychological knowledge into diverse range to topics/subjects
Opportunithy to teach students a sensible, productive approach to the field
Many opportunities to develop relevant research skills and knowledge in students
Both at UG and PG levels
PROVIDE NEXT GENERATION OF TRAINED RESEARCHERS
Researchers embedded in mainstream setting:
normalisation of parapsychology Universities are where science is defined, advanced, challenged
and redefined and disseminated
At universities, an academic is by definition a part of the usual ‘business of science’
Universities are relatively easy to gain ‘entry’ as an academic: confers ‘insider’ status
One of the ‘us’ when performing well (recruit best students) Research areas of academic colleagues accorded same general status
Subtle, almost ‘invisible’, normalisation & acceptance
Network enabling!
Access to useful networks/colleagues Within & outwith own institution and discipline
Expansion of research grant possibilities into mainstream funding sources via networks
Negative Factors
Many competing tasks and duties
Ever changing orientations/priorities
Increasing pressure on staff for income via research and knowledge transfer activities
Shortening of study period for research degrees (MPhils / PhDs)
Multi-disciplinary nature of parapsychology
Impact upon career progression?
Many tasks and duties compete with research activities
Teaching and supervisory duties
Up to 18 hours of ‘in front of class’ teaching per week
Add in lecture preparation and assessment marking time
Personal tutees
Supervision of UG and PG research projects
Large and ever-growing load of administrative work
Tracking student progression; mitigating circumstances; disciplinary actions; quality assurance monitoring, etc.
Committees & working groups
Increasingly prevalence of ‘year round’ teaching
Ever-changing orientations/priorities
The ‘traditional’ university becoming a thing of the past
Must respond rapidly to changing social and governmental priorities
Ever changing curriculum, student populations, etc.
E.g., University of Northampton
1990 – Nene College: respected teacher training college
Mid-1990’s: seeking university status (focus on UG teaching)
1999: University College of Northampton (focus on developing research & research degree students)
2005: University of Northampton (strong research focus)
Today: a business-facing university, strong regional development role; employer engagement (applied teaching, research & knowledge transfer/KT); widening participation agenda, and so on
‘Circle game’ - what goes around, comes around
Increasing pressure on staff for income generation via research and KT activities
Grant & ‘3rd steam’ funding increasingly important source of university income (School’s are ‘profit centres’)
Research grants and KT income must cover ALL associated costs:
The traditional costs: RAs/materials/and so on
Staff time
Associated overheads (usually will double costs)
Parapsychology’s traditional funding sources:
Small charities
Don’t pay overheads;
Generally small grants – difficult to include staff time & RAs;
Requires entry to traditional funding sources
May initially constrain research topics
Essential to adopt a long-term perspective
Shortening of study period for research degrees (MPhils / PhDs)
UK: FT/PT PhD: absolute max.: 5 / 6 years
Meaningful penalties for exceeding limits
Bursaries will only fund 3 years of PhD study
Especially constraining given general lack of undergraduate education in parapsychology
At best, some exposure via examples, UG projects, occasional modules, on-line courses, but still very limited options to gain a good grounding in parapsychology
Less well-informed PhD graduates, outside of their specialist area(s)
Multi-disciplinary nature of parapsychology
Increasing number of psychologists – increasing lack of other disciplines
Understandable, but worrying
Difficult to create ‘from scratch’
Existing academics need to ‘put head above parapet’
Once mainstream career is established, showing interest in parapsychology may be one of the most direct routes to winning wider-spread acceptance
Impact upon career progression?
Previously perhaps, but not today (in UK)
Morris: BAAS – President of Psychology Division
Graduates are successfully competing for jobs
Parapsychology staff progressing as are other colleagues
Includes to ‘upper’ academic and administrative posts
Bob Morris example
Speak to all who will listen
Demonstrate expertise in psychology of deception, etc.
Find mutual problem areas / topics of overlapping interest
Never be defensive; never be aggressive; occupy the middle ground
Conclusions
More academics versed in and pursuing parapsychological research in universities than at any other time in the history of psychical research/parapsychology
USA: Institute for Transpersonal Psychology (Tart, Braud; Hasting); University of California, Irvine (Utts); Cornell (Bem); Rollins College (Edge); University of Maryland (Braude)
Sweden: University of Gothenburg (Parker & Goulding); University Lund (Cardena); University of Stockholm (Dalkvist)
Most notable progress within the UK – need to grow numbers in other countries (Bologna Agreement may help European expansion)
Are we ‘there’ now (established, respectable, etc.)
…. of course not (but no longer a ‘sacrifice’)
BUT DEFINITELY MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!