Psychokinesis PK Case study: PK Party

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Psychokinesis (PK) Case study PK Party

• Group 5
• Leung Ka Wai, Victor
• Leung Oi Ling
• Lo Wai Yuen
• Mok Ming Yan
• Yau Yik Tung

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Rundown of presentation

• 1. Definition and consequence of
• Psychokinesis (PK)
• 2. Case study PK Party
• (a) founder
• (b) routine of PK Party
• 3. Critical analysis
• 4. Conclusion

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Definition

• Psychokinesis is derived from the Greek words
  psyche meaning "breath, "life" , or "soul" and
  kinein meaning "to move. (MYSTICA)
• Movement of physical objects by the mind without
  use of physical means (Merriam-Webster
  Dictionary)
• Mind over matter (J. B. Rhine)

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Possible consequences

• - Casino cheats (Economics)
• - Biological healing (Medication)
• - Energy saving (Conservancy)
• - Military application (Military)
• - Overthrow of physical laws
• (Academic Physics)

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Case Study PK Party
Case Study PK Party

• Founded in 1980s
• Awake metal-bending powers through rituals and
  chants
• Shout, jump and scream to create an chaotic
  atmosphere
• Thousands of people claimed they could bend
  silverware by paranormal means

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Party routine

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Guided meditations
• 3. Conceptual model of party run-down
• 4. Show samples of previous PK parties
• 5. Explanations warmth formed in mind
• 6. Rub silverware between the thumb and
• forefinger
• 7. Project a point of concentration to spoon
• 8. Verbally command silverware to bend
• 9. Push on silverware with the other hand

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Jack Houck

• Founder of PK Party
• 42 year-old
• Engineer
• MS degree in the University of Michigan
• Gave workshops over the past 23 years

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Video (PK Party)
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Argument of the believers
Argument of the believers

• Many claims of successful cases of PK
• Over 50 percent claim to be able to perform PK by
  themselves afterwards
• Jacks scientific explanation
• (mind energy warms the spoon)

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Arguments of non-believers

• Reliability of the claims of participants in PK
  Party
• Credibility of the design of PK
• Doubt of authority of founder (Jack Houck)

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Reliability of the claims of participants in PK
Party

• Expectation
• "skeptics do not do well in PK parties
• ? Cognitive bias
• ? Subjective validation
• Psychological states
• People shout as loud as they can "BEND,
  BEND, BEND!!!"
• ? Distractions more susceptible to delusions,
• The fallacy of misuse of authority (Expert
  opinion)
• ? Cognitive bias

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Credibility of the design of PK
Credibility of the design of PK
Credibility of the design of PK

• Collective hallucination?
• I will not give a PK Party for fewer than 15
  people because there is not enough group effect
  and not enough distractions.
• ? implant compelling beliefs that they can bend
  the spoon ? mass delusion?
• Scientific explanation
• Falsifiability and Testability?
• Elimination of voices
• Critics were excluded from the parties

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More about Jack

• 42 years as a systems engineer for an aerospace
  company.
• MS degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical
  Engineering from the University of Michigan.
• Independent researcher of paranormal phenomena.

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Scientific investigation

• On Jacks statement warm the spoon
• Video about the internal structure of bended
  spoon
• Play video

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Conclusion

• For the case study
• No solid ground for Jacks theory about warming
  the spoon through mind
• Alternative attributes of PK in spoon bending
• e.g. case of the Japanese boy

We cannot eliminate the possible correlation
between PK and spoon bending
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• QA

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References