Deck 23: Psychology in Action: Extrasensory Perception

Question 1

The purported ability to exert influence over inanimate objects by willpower is known as

A)telepathy.
B)precognition.
C)clairvoyance.
D)psychokinesis.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Lakeshia is performing for a talent show by "reading" the thoughts of a "volunteer" from the audience.Lakeshia is showcasing the purported ability of

A)telepathy.
B)precognition.
C)clairvoyance.
D)psychokinesis.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Jessica studies telepathy,precognition,and clairvoyance as well as the psi phenomenon of psychokinesis.Jessica's field of study is called

A)parapsychology.
B)pseudopsychology.
C)psychodynamic psychology.
D)psychophysics.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

You call the Psychic Hotline and talk with a real,live psychic.He tells you about future events in your life that he claims to see.The psychic is demonstrating which psi ability?

A)telepathy
B)precognition
C)clairvoyance
D)psychokinesis

Question 5

Which of the following cannot be classified as a type of ESP but is considered a psi ability and is studied by parapsychologists?

A)precognition
B)clairvoyance
C)telepathy
D)psychokinesis

Question 6

The study of extrasensory perception and other psi phenomenon is known as

A)parapsychology.
B)pseudopsychology.
C)phrenology.
D)psychopsychics.

Question 7

Communication with the dead is called mediumship,while communicating with a living person's mind is called

A)telepathy.
B)clairvoyance.
C)psychokinesis.
D)precognition.

Question 8

If a person states that he is communicating with a person who is dead,this ability to communicate is called

A)clairvoyance.
B)precognition.
C)mediumship.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 9

The purported ability to communicate directly with another person's mind is called

A)clairvoyance.
B)telepathy.
C)precognition.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 10

Tara believes that she has not only seen ghosts but is able to talk to them like a living person.Tara believes she has the purported psi ability known as

A)clairvoyance.
B)precognition.
C)mediumship.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 11

The purported ability to predict future events is called

A)clairvoyance.
B)precognition.
C)psychokinesis.
D)telepathy.

Question 12

Extrasensory perception is the purported ability to perceive events in ways that

A)are free from the discrepancies and distortions of ordinary perception.
B)are especially creative meeting both the criteria of uniqueness and utility.
C)are difficult to explain by accepted sensory or perceptual principles.
D)conform to Gestalt principles of perception.

Question 13

The purported ability to perceive events in ways that cannot be explained by known sensory capacities is referred to as

A)top-down processing.
B)bottom-up processing.
C)the perceptual set.
D)extrasensory perception.

Question 14

The purported ability to perceive events or gain information in ways that appear unaffected by distance or normal physical barriers is called

A)clairvoyance.
B)psychokinesis.
C)telepathy.
D)precognition.

Question 15

Regarding extrasensory perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)About half of the general public believes in the existence of ESP.
B)Very few psychologists believe in the existence of ESP.
C)ESP and other paranormal events are treated as accepted facts in many movies and television programs.
D)Telepathy is the purported ability to exert influence over inanimate objects.

Question 16

Psychics who help police solve baffling or confusing cases often go to the scene of the crime and attempt to use their psi ability to "see" what actually happened.What psi ability are they using?

A)telepathy
B)precognition
C)clairvoyance
D)psychokinesis

Question 17

Which of the following may take the form of prophetic dreams that foretell the future?

A)telepathy
B)precognition
C)clairvoyance
D)psychokinesis

Question 18

Regarding extrasensory perception,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)ESP and other paranormal events are treated as accepted facts in many movies and television programs.
B)About half of the general public believes in the existence of ESP.
C)The majority of psychologists believe in the existence of ESP.
D)Precognition may take the form of prophetic dreams that foretell the future.

Question 19

Regarding parapsychology,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Parapsychology is a pseudopsychology dealing with the nature of altered states of consciousness.
B)Parapsychology is the study of psychic phenomena or psi events.
C)Parapsychology is limited to the study of astral projections.
D)Parapsychology is a nonscientific field concerned with clairvoyance,magic,and witchcraft.

Question 20

Regarding psi phenomena,which of the following statements is TRUE?

A)Psi phenomena are studied within the discipline of psychodynamic psychology.
B)Psi phenomena include the scientific study of thresholds and subliminal stimulation.
C)Psi phenomena lie outside the realm of normal experience and are difficult to study scientifically.
D)Psi phenomena include stroboscopic movement,illusions,and hallucinations.

Question 21

Which of the following is a set of techniques that are used to lead people to believe in the truth of what a psychic or medium is saying about them and relies on uncritical acceptance,the confirmation bias,and the Barnum effect?

A)clairvoyance interpretation
B)psi interpretation
C)cold reading
D)dishabituation reading

Question 22

John is a contestant on television game show,and he believes that he can use his mind to make the money wheel land on "lose a turn" or "bankrupt" when his opponents are spinning it.John believes he has which psi ability?

A)precognition
B)clairvoyance
C)telepathy
D)psychokinesis

Question 23

You have gone with your friend to a "psychic," who begins the "reading" for your friend by making general statements about her.You then notice that the psychic was playing "hot and cold" by attending to your friend's facial expressions,body language,and tone of voice.When the psychic was "hot" (on the right track),she continued to make similar statements about your friend.When your friend's reactions signaled that the psychic was "cold," the psychic drops that topic or line of thought and tries another.When it is your turn,you decline and leave with your friend.You then explain to your friend the technique you observed the psychic using,which is called

A)psychokinesis.
B)cold reading.
C)classical conditioning.
D)dishabituation.

Question 24

Psychokinesis refers to the purported

A)ability to perceive or accurately predict future events.
B)extrasensory perception of another person's thoughts.
C)capacity to mentally influence inanimate objects.
D)ability to guess the symbols on cards as they are turned up from a shuffled deck in another room.

Question 25

Regarding stage performers and "psychic hot lines," which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Miss Cleo was really an actress from Los Angeles,not a Jamaican psychic.
B)People who paid $4.99 a minute for a reading from Miss Cleo actually reached one of several hundred operators,hired through ads that read,"No experience necessary."
C)The owners of the Miss Cleo psychic hot line were convicted of felony fraud.
D)Unlike telephone psychics,psychics who perform ESP on stage are demonstrating true telepathic and clairvoyant abilities.

Question 26

Problems with the use of the Zener cards in Rhine's early experiments included all of the following EXCEPT

A)badly printed Zener cards that allowed the symbols to show faintly from the back.
B)subjects noting marks on the cards caused by normal use or deliberately making fingernail marks on the cards.
C)the experimenter unconsciously giving people cues with their eyes or facial expressions.
D)the use of the double-blind experiments rather than single-blind experiments.

Question 27

Miss Cleo and her "psychic hot line" operators provided information to the people who called regarding questions about their future by using a set of techniques known as

A)clairvoyance interpretation.
B)psi interpretation.
C)cold reading.
D)dishabituation reading.

Question 28

Both ESP researchers and their critics agree that stage demonstrations of ESP

A)represent one of the situations in which psychic abilities are stable and repeatable.
B)are possible,but only for telepathic abilities.
C)must involve deception because of the difficulties in controlling psychic phenomena.
D)are possible only for the most gifted psychics.

Question 29

You are trying to guess the symbols of the Zener cards as they are turned up from a shuffled deck.You are taking the typical test for

A)clairvoyance.
B)telepathy.
C)mediumship.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 30

Regarding stage performers of ESP and psychic "hot lines," which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Stage demonstrations of ESP are based on deception and tricks.
B)The owners of the Miss Cleo's "psychic hot line" were convicted of felony fraud.
C)The people working on Miss Cleo's "psychic hot line" were trained at parapsychology labs at the James Randi Educational Foundation.
D)Miss Cleo and her "psychic hot line" operators used a set of techniques known as cold readings.

Question 31

Which of the following tried to study ESP objectively with many of his experiments making use of the Zener cards?

A)J.B.Rhine
B)Uri Geller
C)Charles Bonnet
D)Eric Berne

Question 32

Cold readings rely on all of the following EXCEPT

A)uncritical acceptance.
B)the Barnum effect.
C)the confirmation bias.
D)dishabituation.

Question 33

You are trying to guess the correct symbol on a Zener card by reading the mind of a sender looking at the card.You are taking the typical test for

A)clairvoyance.
B)telepathy.
C)precognition.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 34

The results of ESP experiments have been shown to be influenced by all of the following EXCEPT

A)habituation.
B)poorly designed experiments.
C)chance.
D)fraud.

Question 35

In ESP tests using Zener cards,pure guessing in these tests will produce an average score of how many "hit(s)" out of 25 cards?

A)one
B)three
C)five
D)seven

Question 36

Gil is watching a demonstration in which a man is attempting to use "mind over matter" in order to bend some spoons.Gil is watching a demonstration of the purported psi ability known as

A)telepathy.
B)precognition.
C)clairvoyance.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 37

You have been asked to play a "psychic" at the Halloween carnival at your son's school.A customer enters,and you begin by making general statements about this person.You would then expand on anything the person responds to in a positive way as shown by his or her facial expressions,body language,or tone of voice.The technique you are using is known as

A)cold reading.
B)mediumship.
C)clairvoyance interpretation.
D)dishabituation.

Question 38

Twenty extremely accurate clocks are locked in two bank vaults (ten in each).A subject who claims to have paranormal powers concentrates on the clocks in one of the vaults,attempting to make them run faster.If she succeeds,she will have demonstrated

A)clairvoyance.
B)telepathy.
C)mesmerism.
D)psychokinesis.

Question 39

One reason many psychologists question Rhine's early experiments with extrasensory perception is that he

A)used stage mentalists and performers.
B)reinterpreted his results when they appeared negative.
C)did not use adequate security or controls.
D)was using methods common to clinical psychology exclusively.

Question 40

J.B.Rhine tried to study ESP objectively.Many of his experiments made use of objects with five symbols printed on them (square,star,circle,wavy lines,and plus sign).These objects used in Rhine's experiments were

A)Rubrik's cubes.
B)Rorschach cards.
C)Zener cards.
D)Geller's dice.

Question 41

The results of more than 1.5 million ESP trials done through the mass media found

A)a significant ESP effect.
B)that only persons younger than 25 years of age showed any psi ability.
C)that only persons older than 45 years of age showed any psi ability.
D)no significant ESP effect.

Question 42

A statistically unusual outcome that could occur by chance,such as getting five heads in a row when flipping a coin,is referred to as

A)the Barnum effect.
B)the "decline effect."
C)a run of luck.
D)a "cold reading."

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT a common characteristic of parapsychology research studies?

A)inconsistent results
B)a replication of findings
C)the "decline effect"
D)a run of luck

Question 44

Parapsychologists believe the "decline effect" shows

A)the consistency of positive results and adds credibility to the existence of ESP.
B)a run of luck.
C)cheating by participants.
D)that parapsychological skills are very fragile.

Question 45

ESP skeptics regard the "decline effect" as evidence

A)of the psi skills being tested under artificially controlled situations.
B)that the earlier demonstration of ESP was the result of a run of luck.
C)that charges of fraud in ESP are themselves fraudulent.
D)that parapsychological skills are very fragile.

Question 46

Improved research techniques in parapsychology have resulted in

A)the ability to replicate spectacular results.
B)fewer positive results.
C)less skepticism among scientists about ESP.
D)fewer instances of the "decline effect."

Question 47

Which of the following occurrences do ESP researchers regard as evidence that parapsychological skills are very fragile,while ESP skeptics regard it as evidence that the ESP demonstration was just a run of luck?

A)stroboscopic movement
B)the Barnum effect
C)the decline effect
D)successful replication of the ESP experiment

Question 48

Over 1.5 million ESP trials were recently conducted through the newspaper,radio,and television.The results indicated that

A)psychokinesis exists,but the other three psi phenomenon do not exist.
B)psychokinesis does not exist,but the other three psi phenomenon do.
C)only 10 percent of the participants exhibited a stable ESP ability.
D)there was no significant ESP effect.

Question 49

Regarding ESP research and its findings,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)James Randi is offering a one million dollar prize to anyone who can demonstrate evidence of psi events under standardized conditions.
B)A close look at psi experiments often reveals serious problems of evidence,procedure,and scientific rigor.
C)A skeptic of ESP is a person who is against the parapsychology research.
D)The results of more than 1.5 million ESP trials done through the mass media found no significant ESP effect.

Question 50

During the middle of the night,a woman away for a weekend visit suddenly has a strong impulse to return home. Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding how people interpret "hunches"?

A)If her hunch is confirmed,she and others may reinterpret it as precognition or clairvoyance.
B)If her hunch is not confirmed,it will be forgotten.
C)Most people do not realize that such coincidences between hunches and happenings occur quite often.
D)When a person shows evidence of psi ability through premonitions,this person will be able to maintain this ability over a sustained period of time.

Question 51

In Edgar Mitchell's telepathy experiment in space,the below­average trials of his receivers were

A)acknowledged as "failures" and evidence that psi abilities do not exist.
B)reinterpreted as "successes" and represented intentional "psi missing."
C)found to be caused by the vacuum of space inhibiting psi abilities.
D)classified as a rare run of luck.

Question 52

One problem in psi experiments consists of defining scores,both above and below chance,as successes.This problem is referred to as

A)the occurrence of a run of luck.
B)the decline effect.
C)a reinterpretation of results.
D)a replication of results.

Question 53

A skeptic of psi abilities is one who

A)shows uncritical acceptance of psi events.
B)is unconvinced regarding the existence of psi events.
C)is against the continuation of parapsychology research.
D)rarely experiences the "decline effect."

Question 54

Many everyday "ESP occurrences" are apparently a result of

A)practice.
B)coincidence.
C)misrepresentation.
D)unconscious psychological processes.

Question 55

After 130 years of psi investigation,scientists

A)have concluded that ESP definitely exists.
B)have concluded that ESP definitely does not exist.
C)cannot prove conclusively whether or not ESP exists.
D)have determined that psychokinesis exists,but the other three psi phenomenon do not exist.

Question 56

To conduct valid and reliable experiments,parapsychologists must use all of the following EXCEPT

A)double-blind experiments.
B)uncritical acceptance and confirmation bias.
C)meticulous control and replication of experiments.
D)security and accuracy in their record keeping.

Question 57

Critics of modern ESP research argue that subjects who temporarily show ESP have received credit for

A)a run of luck.
B)reading impressions through the backs of Zener cards.
C)the experimenter's own psychic ability.
D)having a bad psi day.

Question 58

Regarding modern parapsychology studies,which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Modern parapsychologists still do not consider double-blind experiments and the replication of experiments to be important.
B)Modern parapsychologists have improved security and accuracy in their record keeping.
C)In the last 10 years,hundreds of experiments have been reported in parapsychological journals with many of them seeming to support the existence of psi abilities.
D)For every parapsychology study with positive results,there are many others that fail and are never published.

Question 59

Reinterpretation in psi experiments,like Edgar Mitchell's experiment,involves

A)discounting the Barnum effect.
B)using double-blind research techniques.
C)safeguarding against fraud and deception.
D)defining scores,both above and below chance,as successes.

Question 60

What would it take to scientifically demonstrate the existence of ESP?

A)uncritical acceptance by the media and the public
B)a double-blind study that would replicate both a run of luck and a decline effect
C)a mass media study involving a million ESP trials in which people from the United States and other countries would attempt to identify ESP targets from a distance
D)a set of instructions that would allow any competent,unbiased observer to produce a psi event under standardized conditions that rule out any possibility of fraud

Question 61

If a"psychic" begins a "reading" by making general statements about a person and then plays "hot and cold" by attending to the person's facial expressions,body language,or tone of voice in order to continue or drop a line of thought,the psychic is using a set of techniques known as .

Question 62

Precognition may take the form of prophetic dreams that foretell the future.

Question 63

Events that seem to defy accepted scientific laws are known as .

Question 64

Modern parapsychologists are now well aware of the need to use an experimental arrangement in which the participants and the experimenters who have direct contact with the participants are unaware of whether the participants are in the experimental or control group.This experimental arrangement is known as a(n)experiment.

Question 65

Critics of modern ESP research argue that subjects who temporarily show ESP have received credit for a(n)
__________.

Question 66

The results of more than 1.5 million ESP trials done through the mass media did find a significant ESP effect.

Question 67

Gerald is not against parapsychology research,but he remains unconvinced by the evidence to date.Regarding ESP,Gerald would be considered a(n).

Question 68

Since Dr.Knox studies extrasensory perception and other psi phenomena,he would be considered a psychodynamic psychologist.

Question 69

If Danella believes that she can communicate with the spirits of the dead,she believes that she has the purported ability called .

Question 70

You are watching as a participant attempts to control the roll of the dice with his mind.This purported ability involving "mind over matter" is called .

Question 71

None of the"for profit" television and telephone psychic enterprises have ever been convicted of felony fraud.

Question 72

The purported ability to perceive events or gain information in ways that appear unaffected by distance or normal physical barriers is called psychokinesis.

Question 73

About half of the general public believes in the existence of extrasensory perception,while very few psychologists share this belief.

Question 74

The purported ability to predict future events is called .

Question 75

After close to 130 years of investigations,it is still impossible to say conclusively whether psi events occur.

Question 76

In ESP tests using Zener cards,pure guessing in these tests would produce an average score of five"hits" out of 25
cards.

Question 77

Professional magician and skeptic James Randi has offered a $1 million prize to anyone who can demonstrate evidence of psi events under standardized conditions,but no one has yet claimed the prize.

Question 78

Many of J.B.Rhine's ESP experiments made use of a deck of 25 cards,each bearing one of five symbols.These
cards are known as __________ cards.

Question 79

Some of Rhine's most dramatic early experiments used badly printed Zener cards that allowed the symbols to show
faintly on the back.

Question 80

An occurrence during testing that ESP researchers regard as evidence that parapsychological skills are very fragile is the __________ effect.