Effects of Background Context for Objects in Photographic Targets on Remote Viewing Performance

Authors

Debra Lynne Katz, International Remote Viewing Association, USA

James D. Lane, Rhine Research Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Michelle Freed-Bulgatz

Abstract

Photographic images of physical objects are common targets

in remote viewing projects today. This exploratory experiment investigated

whether the background within which the object is positioned may

impact the accuracy of remote viewing. Twelve experienced remote viewers

each completed 30 open-response, triple-blind remote viewing trials,

requiring them to utilize extrasensory perception to describe the photographic

image they would receive via email a few days later. Investigators

created a photographic target pool of complex objects set within one of

three background conditions: 1) White: devoid of information; 2) Normal:

a setting in which the object would typically be found; 3) Unusual: a setting

in which the object would not typically be found. Participants completed

a total of 360 in-depth transcripts consisting of 8,460 written

descriptors and 1,472 sketches. Two methods were used to analyze the

transcripts for accuracy, the traditional sum of ranks matching procedure

and an exploratory method involving the scoring of each item and sketch

by both the participant and an independent judge. These two methods

revealed significant but opposite differences for photographic targets of

objects set within white backgrounds compared to the other two backgrounds.

Better scores for targets with a white background were found

for the traditional matching procedure, but worse scores were found for

this background when each item and sketch were rated individually. In

Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 752–787, 2021 0892-3310/21

Effects of Background in Photo Targets on Remote Viewer Performance 753

addition, the individual items and sketches were found to describe the

target object more frequently than the background when normal or unusual

backgrounds were present. Results suggest that object background

can affect the outcome of remote viewing sessions, although the effect

may depend on the scoring method applied.

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Keywords: Remote viewing, target material, extrasensory perception,

anomalous cognition, photographic target material