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Backster / Ben experiment
QIPP's first funded research project was completed in September 2013.
Can philodendrons feel the future too?
A cross pollination of the Backster and Bem experiments
INSPIRATION FOR THE experiment
In 2010 Daryl Bem published a paper called Feeling the Future. It was a milestone in parapsychological research mainly because the journal that carried the article was a mainstream psychology journal. Bem had carefully used already accepted psychology experiments but reversed the timing. Some of the experimental results indicated a significant effect in favour of the subjects showing reactions prior to the stimulus they were being monitored for. This could be interpreted as evidence for precognition.
In 1966 Cleve Backster, a lie detector expert, hooked up a plant to his polygraph machine. He was interested in seeing if he could measure when the water he had just given the plant reached the leaf. It was the first step towards his realisation that plants register results on a polygraph machine in response to human emotions relevant to them. In his first experiment his mere intent (never fully executed) to burn a leaf of the plant elicited a significant response on the machine. This type of event subsequently became known as the Backster Effect.
Proposed experiment
The proposed experiments are inspired by both the Backster and Bem experiments and will examine if the ideas behind the Backster Effect and the Bem experiments when combined will show that plants too respond retrocausally to emotional stimulation.
Document containing proposed experiment
Happy to report that the experiment was run in August /September2013. Thanks to all the volunteers for their time and efforts. Results were written up and accepted by PARE December 2014.
Thanks to PARE for the opportunity to undertake this research.
Currently refining the protocol and developing methods of application.