Professor Rhine card test (java applet)

You folks ever try the Professor Rhine card test? You know... the cards with 5 different shapes and you gotta guess which one is next...

Anyway, click this link for a java applet version.

Now the interesting thing is, after doing it for a while it seems to work. I always get at least 50 right out of 100, which is well above chance level. I'm just curious if it's a true random number generator as they say. If so, then ESP is definately real!

Thoughts?

I think it's random.
But I could make one myself so I know it's really random!
I can upload the exe when i'm done making it.

Yeah, go for it.

I actually had a Flash-based Prof. Rhine card test in the works, but I lost my hard drive before it was finished.

That's a cool test, I do seem to be getting better results on this one than the other one I posted but it could be that I'm more rested today than I was when I took it at the end of the day yesterday.

I seem to have a problem of picking a circle when it's a square and vice versa. Perhaps this has somthing to do with my being an artist and much more of a visual thinker. The difference is quite obvious between the cards I guess correctly and the ones I get wrong. When I get it right it's almost as if some yelled out the answer, like it comes from somewhere else.

I also seemed to be doing better when I was actively thinking about somthing else. I tried talking to myself about how weird the predictive ability of probability is. I get more wrong when I'm actually thinking about what card might be next.

Do you think the outcome would be better or worse if there were more cards, or maybe cards of different colors, or possibly if the symbols weren't known symbols like stars and circles but abstract designs? Abstract designs seem to confuse the conscious mind quite well.

What techniques do you use to focus and distract the conscious mind?

I made this silly app today
Didn't include any fancy features yet, tell me if I should.
It's compressed with UPX a exe compressor, stupid virus programs may have an issue with that, but most dont.
Click here to download (16kb)
And here to see the source code.

Cool TS. That was quick!

I'm still at work so I don't have time to to try it at length, but I did check it out.

Any chance you could take the focus off the previously chosen card? It might be onfucus:blur(); or something. I know it's minor, but reminding me of the last card I chose makes me least likely to choose it again (in succession).

This test is very interesting indeed. As you said the more I did it the more I got right. I foudn the technique that worked best for me is whats known as an Ideo-Motor Response. i found that if I blinked before it choose a card that my eyes would land on the card that was next. IMRs are slight tension in certain muscles caused by subconcious stimuli. The last time I played with the test I achieved 197% over chance and surprised even myself.

I tried the same technique on other Rhine tests but found it didn't work near as well. I think it's either that I need to find a new technique for the different test, or as one of my friend's suggested, it may be that my subconscious has figured out the algorythm used for the random generator and somehow is able to predict what card is next.

I think it seems more likely that I simply need a new technique.

Have you ever taken a Rhine test using real cards and not simulated ones?

Have you ever taken a Rhine test using real cards and not simulated ones?

No, but I'd like to. In fact I'm inclined to think it would be easier with the real thing (due to the subconcious interface between the two people, one of which knows the answer).

I think the delay on the hexatron test really helps. I've also noticed that moving around the mouse a bit tends to stimulate more of a trance-like state. Anyone remember that guy who would constantly draw circles on a paper with a pencil to help concentrate on a location or event?

I'm going to create a flash-based psi-test soon, with different types of visual stimuli (animations in the background perhaps) to see if it makes much difference. It seems as if focusing on something else gives better results.

The delay in the Hexatron test most deffinitly helps, I've found that to be my main stumbling block with the other tests I've taken. I think, like you said, the delay allows you to distract yoruself somehow. I've found the most helpful aspect of the delay was the need to click the button to generate the next card. I used a combination of breathing, looking at the button, and listening intently to the click of the mouse to distract my conscious.

I also found a few other tests last night, one which is based off the California State lottery and uses 6 randomly generated numbers with a list to choose from. I tried the same technique and eventually had marginal improvement when I began listening for the numbers in the back of my head. I started with getting absolutely nothing right and moved on to getting one right and then sometimes two. I didn't have enough time yesterday to play with it as much as I like. There were also a few PK tests I found, one in which you had to force one of two photos to appear on a screen that started with both scrambled together. I did it about ten times and ended up with 2 or 3 more wins than losses. However, I don't think a PK test would work if the objects are simulated.

I forgot to book mark that page but if you'd like to see the tests I can find it for you.

I'm looking foward to taking your PSI test, perhaps a good distraction would some form of white noise, or a repeating sequence of noises. I suppose you wouldn't want it to be too distracting, perhaps yuou can include an option to turn the distractions off so the user could see if there is a differnce between the two.

I tried that Hexatron test. It was kinda fun.
It made me think of something else,..... I don't know if you've ever seen or heard of these type of psychics,.. but basically in order to be able to see/predict anything, they have to keep their hand drawing. You usually see them with a big art pad, scribbling away at nonsensical stuff like circles, lines,... just filling the page until it is unusable, and they turn to the next page to continue scribbling. Maybe this is their way of distracing their conscious mind, to allow the subconscious to come forward.

Here's my post from a BTS thread about the test:

I broke out my trusty 10-sided die and picked my cards randomly by roll. In order to rule out any latent psi ability affecting the die roll, I rolled before the computer picked a card.

I got 39 out of 100 hits, for a chance of 1 in 102542. Unless my ability is in affecting computer random numbers, I would definitely think that the program is matching a certain number of guesses.

It seems the test is weighted for success somehow.

But I got bored partway through.

I made a random java based one similar with tarot cards once. it was pretty cool...got a lot of hits and I had to take it down as my usage was unreal!!

Was fun though...lots of people said it was acurate. Go figure.

Was easy to make too.

The oddest part of these tests seems to be the fact that the more you take them the better you get no matter who you are. I suppsoe this begs the question, given the obvious improvement over time what is causing the increase in predictions? I guess the answer is either some kind of subconscious computing or actually clairvoyence. I'd still like to find out if the numbers would be different for a hard copy version of the test, using actual material cards. Most of the posters here seem to have only used virtual tests. It does seem odd, though, that science refuses to attribute anything at all the the Rhine test yet it seems quite obvious that you can train yourself to get higher scores.

I can't see how the high success rate is anything to do with the subconscious guessing the pattern because on a separate day after clicking right to left on each card I achieved almost identical hits in the same number of turns. Likewise I can't see it being to do with pure psychic ability as the hit rate is similar no matter what order the cards are clicked. This in itself is too much of a coincidence.

As a practical joke the test isn't very subtle so perhaps it is an experiment measuring something other than pure psychic ability such as how peoples belief in their ability affects actual psychic ability. This could be done by slipping in a few really random tests, with the majority of them being rigged. There is even a disclaimer of the page saying something along the lines of "this product is useless for anything other than entertainment purposes". It seems that the program wants the user to realise it is weighted eventually but not at first, thus testing a range of belief levels.

[edit on 23-4-2006 by joewhite]

[edit on 23-4-2006 by joewhite]

That's what I was wondering too... is it just making you think you're guessing correctly?

On the other hand I've had pretty good results with TrappedSoul's program too.

I was thinking the same thing myself, I had actually thought for a while that maybe it sometimes shows you the card that you clicked on rather than actually randomizing a new card.

However, if you did almost as well on the other card test I suppose it's not the case.

I really want to try a real life Rhine test.

I updated my program today, the sreenshot is from windows vista, but it works on every windows.
It's now 17kb, download here!

Minor update:
A little mistake in the spelling (rigth = right)....
But the screenshot is still the same!

[edit on 2006/4/26 by TrappedSoul]