Information Transmission Under Conditions of Sensory Shielding
Russell Targ, Harold E. Puthoff
Nature, Vol. 251, No. 5476
Summary
The foundational peer-reviewed remote viewing paper from Stanford Research Institute (SRI), published in Nature. Targ and Puthoff describe experiments testing whether subjects — including Ingo Swann and Pat Price — could accurately describe geographically remote locations while physically isolated in a shielded environment. Results showed statistically significant accuracy above chance under double-blind judging. Publication in Nature, the highest-prestige science journal, gave the SRI remote viewing program its main claim to mainstream scientific legitimacy and directly preceded the CIA's expansion of the program.
Abstract
Published in Nature as a short article (Letters format; no formal separate abstract). Describes experiments at Stanford Research Institute testing the ability of subjects to transmit information about remote locations under conditions of sensory shielding. Subjects including Ingo Swann and Pat Price were isolated in electromagnetically shielded rooms while an experimenter traveled to randomly selected target locations. Subjects' verbal and sketch descriptions of the target locations were evaluated under double-blind conditions by independent judges. Results showed statistically significant correspondence between target locations and subject descriptions, above what could be attributed to chance or sensory leakage. The authors conclude that the experimental results constitute prima facie evidence for a perceptual channel capable of acquiring information at a distance. The paper prompted significant scientific debate and led directly to expanded CIA and DIA funding of the SRI remote viewing program.
Citation
Russell Targ, Harold E. Puthoff. (1974). Nature. Vol. 251. No. 5476. DOI: 10.1038/251602a0
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