On the Quantum Mechanics of Consciousness, with Application to Anomalous Phenomena
Robert G. Jahn, Brenda J. Dunne
Foundations of Physics, Vol. 16, No. 8
Summary
The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research laboratory's flagship theoretical and empirical paper, presenting a quantum mechanical framework for consciousness-matter interaction and summarizing a decade of experimental data. Jahn (Dean of Engineering, Princeton) and Dunne report statistically significant operator influence on random event generators across 2.5 million trials - effect sizes small but cumulative p-values highly significant. Proposes that consciousness functions as a quantum observer capable of influencing probabilistic physical systems at the margin. The most rigorous institutional treatment of mind-matter interaction in the peer-reviewed literature.
Abstract
A theoretical framework is proposed in which consciousness is treated as a quantum mechanical system capable of interacting with physical processes at the level of probabilistic events. Drawing on the formalism of quantum mechanics - particularly the role of the observer in wave function collapse - the paper develops a model in which conscious intention may bias the output of inherently random physical systems. Experimental data from a decade of Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory studies are presented, encompassing approximately 2.5 million trials with random event generators operated by human participants. Results demonstrate small but statistically highly significant correlations between operator intention and device output, consistent with a direct mind-matter interaction effect. The paper examines the implications of these findings for the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the nature of consciousness, and the epistemological boundaries of conventional science, and proposes a proto-model for understanding how consciousness may participate in physical reality.
Citation
Robert G. Jahn, Brenda J. Dunne. (1986). Foundations of Physics. Vol. 16. No. 8. DOI: 10.1007/BF00735378
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