Originally posted by OccamsRazor04
So what they did was invite two psychics and had them "read" 5 strangers. They then asked the strangers to look at the readings and choose which one was theirs.

That's a horrible test for the simple reason that the egos of those being read are not objective.

Say one of the 5 was a closet homosexual, and the reading revealed that he was in fact a homosexual. Wanting to keep that fact a secret, do you really think he would own up to that reading?

Letting those people choose which reading applied to them is flawed because people will always choose the reading that paints them in the best light, no matter what the truth may be.

I really admire Derren Brown for what he can do but he is bigoted and his hatred of psychics is based on those he knows and dislikes as people and a total disbelief of anything paranormal.

I think that those being tested were carried away with a remote chance of proving that they were right and it backfired on them. They should indeed have been more honest and said they weren't getting anything. Stress is a big inhibitor.

Psychic abilities have no ON/OFF button, one day it's all there, the next, nothing, and that isn't an excuse, it's reality.

I practice and also read Tarot, I don't charge and I sometimes won't read because nothing comes to me. I'm not a fraudster, out to make a profit.

It is never wise to tar everyone with the same brush. Others might think it just as stupid that people believe in conspiracies or UFOs. A bit of respect goes a long way folks! IMO of course!!

Originally posted by Liberal1984
In my view: The biggest test for a psychic is whether or not they charge money.

Thank you.

Put money into anything and it tends to dilute the real purpose.

Think of money as water and life as Jack Daniels. I'll take it straight with just enough ice to keep it interesting.

Whenever I think of psychics who charge for their services I think of a circus act. I don't why. I guess I just feel that the more you talk about something and the more public you want it all to become, the less meaning it keeps.

The real psychics, if you can pick them out of the crowd, tend to keep it to themselves because they don't want to be associated with the fakes and the wanna-be's. Can't blame them really.

Every test of this sort will always fail, but not for the reason people think.

What credible, skilled individual would go and sign up for some lame "prove it or your a fraud" test, with, most likely, young know nothing assistants?

Think about this, where is it written that if you have a skill, you MUST prove it to science people who don't believe you have the skill. To do this, you have to be either foolish, or without the skill, as this just makes no sense.

The world is full of frauds, there are COUNTLESS fraudulent doctors, lawyers (nearly all) politicians, even gardeners. Finding a fraud isn't hard, finding a fraud with something as esoteric as using other senses is easy, but it does NOT negate the skill associated with seeing things in a different way for those who simply wish to do what they do without some lab coated doubting thomas poking and prodding them.

Studies are largely nonsense, especially these type as the all reek of Dr. Venkman or that cartoon villain James Randi. The conclusions are just preposterous: five people failed so there is no such thing! Good lord, what kind of simpleton decides all of reality is "just so" because the see a headline like that?

There is no way, no way at all, ever, a skilled "psychic" (however you define that) would ever subject themselves to some college kid's study to prove they are a fraud - which is really the basis of the study as it has been determined all are frauds already. But there are, many, many foolish, unskilled, maybe fraudulent, surely simpleminded folks who will answer an add posted on a lamppost, but that does not mean they are indicative of anything other then themselves.

Originally posted by crankyoldman
Every test of this sort will always fail, but not for the reason people think.

What credible, skilled individual would go and sign up for some lame "prove it or your a fraud" test, with, most likely, young know nothing assistants?

Think about this, where is it written that if you have a skill, you MUST prove it to science people who don't believe you have the skill. To do this, you have to be either foolish, or without the skill, as this just makes no sense.

The world is full of frauds, there are COUNTLESS fraudulent doctors, lawyers (nearly all) politicians, even gardeners. Finding a fraud isn't hard, finding a fraud with something as esoteric as using other senses is easy, but it does NOT negate the skill associated with seeing things in a different way for those who simply wish to do what they do without some lab coated doubting thomas poking and prodding them.

Studies are largely nonsense, especially these type as the all reek of Dr. Venkman or that cartoon villain James Randi. The conclusions are just preposterous: five people failed so there is no such thing! Good lord, what kind of simpleton decides all of reality is "just so" because the see a headline like that?

There is no way, no way at all, ever, a skilled "psychic" (however you define that) would ever subject themselves to some college kid's study to prove they are a fraud - which is really the basis of the study as it has been determined all are frauds already. But there are, many, many foolish, unskilled, maybe fraudulent, surely simpleminded folks who will answer an add posted on a lamppost, but that does not mean they are indicative of anything other then themselves.

Your assertions on the topic are profound; but they are immediately false when we realize that this whole thread is about "skilled psychics" subjecting themselves to some college kid's study. So, indeed, there is a way, a way after-all, and there is documented evidence in the OP.

If you have evidence to support your claims that no skilled psychic would ever submit to such a test, then by all means....

The test itself is extremely flawed because you are basing the results on how the people pereive themselves.

The test was based on the same criteria that they use for hack astrology. People are going to see in themselves what they want to see.

"You are an intelligent, thoughtful, kind person"

Anyone can think that of themselves. No one is going to like: you are disorganized and unattractive.

We would all agree with the first statement.

Sorry, but basing results on self interpretation is not a test at all.

First off, they tested psychic abilities of mediums. Mediums channel the dead, they are rarely psychic. They are testing one kind of ESP on a another.

I would question any psychic medium, as mediums rarely have more then mediumship.

We don't know who these two psychics are, or what their abilities are, since the article or the test can't even seem to define the different kinds.

It is like saying that a bottle ship builder if fake because he can't rebuild a transmission.