Kenneth James Batcheldor (27 September 1921 – 9 March 1988) was a British clinical psychologist whose scientific experiments advanced the study of
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. No ...
phenomena, particularly
psychokinesis
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
, building on the work of
Michael Faraday
Michael Faraday (; 22 September 1791 – 25 August 1867) was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic inductio ...
to investigate unconscious muscular action as an explanation for
table-turning
Table-turning (also known as table-tapping, table-tipping or table-tilting) is a type of séance in which participants sit around a table, place their hands on it, and wait for rotations. The table was purportedly made to serve as a means of comm ...
.
Batcheldor investigated the mental states that were conducive or inhibitory to the effect, attempting to create a repeatable process by which anyone might produce it.
Amongst other techniques, he pioneered the experimental use of infrared video recording to observe the actions of subjects in the dark.
References
External links
* based on the work of Kenneth Batcheldor.
1921 births
1988 deaths
20th-century British psychologists
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