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Split Thread Flabio's dowsing claim

I was thinking a blindfold and a duct taped full face motorcycle helmet might be convincing. And like I've said before, I've only ever dowsed service lines before, so that's what I intend to stick with...
 
flabio said:
I was thinking a blindfold and a duct taped full face motorcycle helmet might be convincing.
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You need to demonstrate that you can tell the difference between ground which has a service line running under it from ground which does not, when there are no visual clues as to which is which, significantly more often than would be expected by chance.

Usually this is done by someone setting up an area with several marked spots, some of which have had whatever it is the dowser thinks he can detect buried in them and some of which have not, and then leaving whilst the dowser dowses each spot and identifies which is which. As long as there is no visual clue which is which, the dowser does not need to be blindfolded whilst he does this. As most dowsers need to see how their dowsing rods are reacting to determine whether they are getting a positive response, it's usually impractical to blindfold them.

Once the dowser has marked which spots he thinks are which, the guy who set it up returns and tells him if he is right.

The odds of getting the right spot by chance can be calculated beforehand. For example if there are 10 spots only one of which has the dowsing target buried in it, the chances of finding the right spot by chance is 1:10. For the JREF preliminary test, applicants are typically required to beat chance odds of 1:1000.
 
flabio said:
I was thinking a blindfold and a duct taped full face motorcycle helmet might be convincing. And like I've said before, I've only ever dowsed service lines before, so that's what I intend to stick with...
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A double-blind test would be convincing, you being blindfolded would not.
 
I am looking forward to flabio's next You Tube video, in which he points sticks at yellow flags while wearing two blindfolds.
 
Pixel42 said:
It's essential that no-one who knows where whatever it is flabio is dowsing for is buried is present during the test, as they can inadvertantly give him clues with their body language. So the test must be double blinded: neither the testee nor the observers can know where the targets are.
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I agree, but I don't consider that the test setters not being present is the essence of a double-blind test. A truly double-blind test would require that nobody knows where the burial site is/are, whether present at the testing or not. And that was my point - that's not practicable - hence a simple blind test, albeit with the test setters then vacating the test area.
 
Dumb All Over said:
Yeah. Wearing two blindfolds while dowsing gives a whole new meaning to double-blind testing. :D
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Which is what Flabio means by wearing a blindfold and a duct-taped full-face crash helmet, I think!

As I wrote earlier, we could be here for the long haul! :D
 
Well, that wasn't fun while it lasted. But if Flabio is still reading this thread (and we know he is), and he's at all serious about applying for a cash prize; he's got all the info he needs.

Ward
 
Southwind17 said:
I'm not sure a double-blind test is necessary, or even practicable. A simple blind test (but definitely not 'blindfold' test) should suffice.
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I could think of a few ways you could make a practical double blind test, depending on what Flabio claims he can dowse for.
 
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