An Exploratory Investigation of Dream GESP Page: 1 AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION OF DREAM GESP USING CONSENSUS JUDGING AND DYNAMIC TARGETS 1 by CHRIS A. ROE, SIMON J. SHERWOOD, DAVID P. LUKE AND LOUISE M. FARRELL ABSTRACT Spontaneous cases of ESP often seem to occur during dreams (Van de Castle, 1977). Experimental studies of dream ESP focusing on telepathy and clairvoyance have obtained some promising results (e.g., Sherwood, Dalton, Steinkamp, & Watt, 2000; Ullman & Krippner with Vaughan, 1989). Some such studies have used consensus-vote or pooled rating/ranking procedures in order to try to maximise ESP performance and two recent dream clairvoyance studies found that participants scored marginally higher using consensus as opposed to individual target judging procedures (Dalton, Steinkamp & Sherwood, 1999; Sherwood et al., 2000). An attempted replication using a precognitive design by two of the current authors (Sherwood, Roe, Simmonds, & Biles, 2002) using static targets was unsuccessful. The current study was planned to overcome methodological weaknesses in that design. Using a clairvoyance design, 5 pilot and 31 experimental trials were conducted. The dependent variables were the correspondence rankings for the target-clip resulting from individual and group judgements. Predictor variables included whether the judgement was individual or group consensus, and target emotionality characteristics. Two of the three individual performances were better than chance expectation, but to a nonsignificant degree, and although the group consensus was superior to the performance of two individuals, it was not significantly better than chance expectation. Covariation of performance with target characteristics of enjoyability, affinity, emotionality and valence did not give rise to any clear pattern, although it is suggested that these findings may be best understood in terms of Palmer’s (1975, unpub.) interaction model. There was no evidence here that the relationship between target emotionality and trial success found in previous research could be explained in terms of a selection bias. INTRODUCTION Louisa Rhine (1962) found that approximately two thirds of her collection of spontaneous cases of ESP occurred while the experient was in an altered state, particularly while dreaming. Experimental studies that have involved participants entering a dream state have also been remarkably successful. For example, Radin’s (1997, pp. 68 -73) recent meta- analysis of the Maimonides dream ESP database found an overall hit rate of 63% (where mean chance expectation is 50%) with odds against chance of 75 million to one. Speculation on the success of the dream state as psi conducive has been partly responsible for the noise reduction model (cf. Honorton, 1993) and the subsequent adoption of the ganzfeld method by some parapsychologists (Braud, Wood & Braud, 1975; Honorton & Harper, 1974; Parker, 1975). However, recent evidence suggests that whatever the manner in which the ganzfeld may be psi conducive, it is not because it induces in its participants a hypnagogic/hypnopompic state (Wackermann, Pütz, Büchi, Strauch, & Lehmann, 2000). There may therefore be some utility in revisiting the dream state as a more ecologically valid research focus, particularly now that automated procedures have become available which 1 An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 25 th International Conference of the Society for Psychical Research, University of Cambridge, September 2001. We should like to thank the SPR Research Grants Committee for their kind support of this project.