esent in at least some people. That is, although it is unlikely that everyone will perform significantly better than probability (p*0.05); some individuals may do particularly well compared to the sample at large.A similar set of hypotheses can be stated with regards to telepathy. Is everyone capable of reading other peoples thoughts? Or is it an ability confined to a few members of a sample? Indeed, to what degree can people perceive the thoughts of others: are those who are deemed to be telepathic capable of receiving unconsciously projected information, or does the process only work with the full co-operation of the sender? Also, will there be any overlap with those scoring above probability in each test? In other words, are some individuals exhibiting more than one form of ESP? Finally, to what extent will people’s belief in parapsychology in general, and ESP in particular, influence their scores; will those scoring higher than chance in the tests be confined to the individuals who claimed to be believers in ESP? one theory is that those who disbelieve will, either consciously or sub-consciously, try to sabotage the results to reinforce their beliefs.MethodsDesignThe series of tests carried out formed an observational study. The participants were divided into three groups and each practical was carried out separate from the others. The individuals in each section were divided into pairs, for the telepathy tests, and then threes for participation in the dowsing test. In order to minimise the effect of anomalous results a series of repeat readings were taken: telepathy was repeated thirty-five times; dowsing seven.The number lists used in the telepathy test contained a sequence of randomly generated numbers.SubjectsThe participants in the study were the bulk of first –year psychology undergraduates. This can be taken to mean that the majority were of above-average intelligence, and around eighteen or nineteen years of age....
