Paranormal detection

[reason1]

I have the ability to detect when someone stares at me even from behind.
I've read the rules and the FAQ.
no media nor affidavit but working on it

suggestion for the test:
I'll be sitting in a public place looking in one direction.
Many people around me.
When someone stares at me, I'll detect that and will look back exactly at the one who is staring.
and this will be repeated until the JREF is satisfied.
Also i choose the date for the test but not the place.

 

[arthwollipot]

Why do you need "many people"? Would it not work if you just had one person, who in any given period would either stare at you or not stare at you, on the result of a coin flip?

How's this:

You sit in a chair. Another person sits or stands behind you. There is a light in front of you, which both of you can see.

When the light comes on, the person behind you flips a coin. If it comes up heads, he stares at you. If tails, he stares at something else. You write down whether you think he is staring at you or not. The person behind you writes down whether he actually stared at you.

Repeat many times. Start with ten and work up from there.

At the end of the test, compare notes.

 

[Akhenaten]

I have the ability to detect when someone stares at me even from behind.

What about from the side?

I've read the rules and the FAQ.
no media nor affidavit but working on it

Excellent work. You're ahead of most aspiring applicants already.

suggestion for the test:
I'll be sitting in a public place looking in one direction.

Unless you're a chameleon, there's not much choice about this.

Many people around me.

Hopefully all of them strangers. How would we check that, do you think?

When someone stares at me, I'll detect that and will look back exactly at the one who is staring.

If you sit in a public place facing one direction, lots of people will stare at you. You could try a "No Staring" sign, but I imagine that would just produce more staring. How do you propose to eliminate random staring? What happens if more than one person is staring at you?

and this will be repeated until the JREF is satisfied.

If one person in a group of people directly behind me is staring at me, and I turn to face the group, I can pretty much guarantee that I will be able to look straight at the staring person without any noticeable hesitation. It's possibly one of our oldest survival techniques, and we can all do it.

In the test you propose, however, it's going to be even easier than normal. If you sit in a public place and then from time to time turn around suddenly to face the people behind you, it's a fair bet that most of them will be looking at you at that moment.

Also i choose the date for the test but not the place.

I'd say the date would need to be negotiated. The choice of a location may have to be randomised somehow.

 

[yairhol]

Arthwollipot has a reasonable test proposal. I don't see why this can't be done very easily.
Also, may I suggest that you first do a test run with a friend exactly as stated by Arthwollipot. Repeat the test a significant number of times, say 20 or so.
Another thing that you will need to declare is what percentage of 'hits' do you claim: 100%,90%, 80%, other?

Good luck.

 

[GzuzKryzt]

I have the ability to detect when someone stares at me even from behind.
I've read the rules and the FAQ.
no media nor affidavit but working on it

suggestion for the test:
I'll be sitting in a public place looking in one direction.
Many people around me.
When someone stares at me, I'll detect that and will look back exactly at the one who is staring.
and this will be repeated until the JREF is satisfied.
Also i choose the date for the test but not the place.

Kudos on reading the rules. However, some tweaks:

1. A controlled test will not happen in public.
2. "...until the JREF is satisfied..." is not good enough. Try to come with a number of trials and a percentage of hits, e.g. 20 trials/16 hits or more.
3. Try arthwollipot's simple proposal at home with a friend.
4. Read this.
5. You and the JREF will have to agree mutually on date and location of the test.

And welcome to the forum, reason1.

 

[arthwollipot]

One thing that I'll mention here is that when Rupert Sheldrake did this experiment, part of the protocol was immediate feedback on whether a given guess was wrong or right. I never saw the point of this, but apparently he didn't get positive results unless this happened. My protocol does not include this feedback-per-guess, not because I want to skew the results, but because the immediate feedback seems to serve no purpose in the test. However, I am open to discussion on this subject.

 

[reason1]

thanks guys/girls,

I want to ask a question first :
does the ability to detect when and the exact location of the person who stares at me, whether from the sides, behind or above count as paranormal in regard to the challenge ?
if so i shall continue to my next point

post your thoughts and questions and I'll sum up my answers and post them later.
thanks

 

[GzuzKryzt]

thanks guys/girls,

I want to ask a question first :
does the ability to detect when and the exact location of the person who stares at me, whether from the sides, behind or above counts as paranormal in regard to the challenge ?
...

If you claim you could do it significantly more successful than what chance suggests, I would think the JREF would accept your application - with media profile and academic support.

However, only JREF Staff can give official answers: challenge@randi.org

 

[kitakaze]

1, how about Arthwollipot's suggested protocol in post #2?

 

[yairhol]

does the ability to detect when and the exact location of the person who stares at me, whether from the sides, behind or above count as paranormal in regard to the challenge ?

I'm sure it does but I'm not the qualified person to say so.
But...I'm sure it does.

 

[reason1]

I will answer all the questions, just taking my time.
I'm all yours guys/girls and i won't send my application until you all tell me so

thanks

 

[kitakaze]

Love to know your thoughts on the suggested protocol in post #2 when you're ready.

 

[H3LL]

I see this as two claims. The ability to detect the staring and the ability to locate the staring person.

Could the test be modified with a number of people?

Perhaps 10 people standing at right angles behind reason1 and a randomly selected person to turn their head (quieter that way) and stare/not stare at him/her.

Maybe 2 or 3 shuffled decks of cards to select the persons and the coin flip to stare/not stare?

This must reduce the incidence of random chance (any of our statisticians know the probabilities of getting the correct person and a correct stare by chance?) and show reason1's amazing ability, should it exist.




The only problem I see is reducing the availability of reflective or semi-reflective objects. Even dull wall paint can show enough of a reflected image to see a head movement.

It is possible that reason1 has exactly the ability he/she states but is consciously or sub-consciously picking up cues from reflective objects or even have extremely good hearing?

Watches, belt buckles, shoes, spectacles (their own or others), door handles, light fittings, cups, spoons and even floor surfaces or screw/nail heads can present enough of an image to detect the head/body movement.

Can reason1 perform blindfolded/earplugged?

Can reason1 perform in a very noisy environment (he/she mentions crowds and public places)?

Depending on his/her answers, can a sufficiently non-reflective (possible very low light and curtained) and silent/noisy environment be constructed?



.

 

[reason1]

Also if you like, feel free to answer on behalf of me.If i like it maybe I'll give you some of the money

to H3LL : I'm a man
thanks

 

[reason1]

I've edited my previous post,as a skeptic myself "why not" is something i like to hear.
Got to get some sleep now .post your questions and suggestions and I'll answer when i wake up.

 

[Rasmus]

Perhaps 10 people standing at right angles behind reason1 and a randomly selected person to turn their head (quieter that way) and stare/not stare at him/her.

How many dimensions do we have to work with to create this setting?

 

[Klimax]

How many dimensions do we have to work with to create this setting?

Four!

 

[nathan]

Hi!

I'll be sitting in a public place looking in one direction.
Many people around me.
When someone stares at me, I'll detect that and will look back exactly at the one who is staring.

Won't your head turning cause people to look at you? This sounds like the scenario Feynmann described in one of his auto biographies concerning failing the army medical (Feynman guessed that some of the other recruits waiting for their interview would be looking in his direction, and if he made a sudden movement to point them out, even more of them would look at him.)

You need a protocol that won't have that problem.

 

[jojonete]

reason1: first of all, it's great that you read the FAQ and rules. Almost nobody does.

does the ability to detect when and the exact location of the person who stares at me, whether from the sides, behind or above count as paranormal in regard to the challenge ?

We people in the forum do not speak for the JREF, so our answers are not official.
That said, the answer to your question is "yes, it does".

if so i shall continue to my next point

We really, really, really would like your next point to be to tell us what you think about arthwollipot's proposal, namely:

How's this:

You sit in a chair. Another person sits or stands behind you. There is a light in front of you, which both of you can see.

When the light comes on, the person behind you flips a coin. If it comes up heads, he stares at you. If tails, he stares at something else. You write down whether you think he is staring at you or not. The person behind you writes down whether he actually stared at you.

Repeat many times. Start with ten and work up from there.

At the end of the test, compare notes.

 

[quarky]

I've also noticed this phenomena, yet it is impossible to tell how many people were staring at you from behind that you didn't notice.

I can wake sleeping people by staring at them, but I quit doing it, because it seems rude.
I never considered it paranormal. I figured everyone could do this.