US government research into dogs having ESP - 1953

AI summary:

This research paper, titled "ESP (Extrasensory Perception)," is a final report submitted by Duke University’s Parapsychology Laboratory on July 10, 19531. Directed by J.B. Rhine, the study investigated the potential for extrasensory perception (ESP) in animals—primarily dogs, cats, and pigeons—with a specific focus on its military application for locating buried land mines.

Key Objectives and Findings

The research sought to determine if animals could perceive information without the use of known sensory cues (such as smell or sight).

• Mine-Locating Dogs: * Trained dogs successfully located "Schu" mines buried in sand with 86% accuracy when normal sensory cues were minimized.

  • To further eliminate olfactory (smell) cues, mines were placed under moving water. In these conditions, dogs achieved a 38% to 44% success rate (where 20% was expected by chance).

  • Researchers concluded it was "difficult to see how any olfactory basis of perception" could explain the results, suggesting ESP as a plausible factor.

• Studies on Other Species:

  • Cats: Significant results were found in tests where cats had to choose between food dishes while the experimenter attempted to mentally influence them.

  • Pigeons: The laboratory explored the mystery of pigeon homing, ruling out existing sensory hypotheses and suggesting ESP as the only remaining established principle that could explain the behavior.

Major Observations

• Decline Effect: Success rates consistently dropped to chance levels over time, a phenomenon the researchers noted as typical of ESP in both humans and animals.

• Human Factor: The relationship between the animal and its handler (or experimenter) was found to be a critical variable in the success of the tests.

• Sensory vs. ESP: While much of the dogs' land-based success was attributed to a highly developed sense of smell (hyperesthesia), the researchers argued the underwater results pointed toward a separate, extrasensory capacity.

Conclusion

The report concludes that while the project provided "significant evidence" of ESP in animals, the capacity is elusive, delicate, and easily lost. The researchers emphasized that understanding and controlling this factor would be of "enormous value" for military intelligence and defense, though it would require years of further basic research.