COMMENT:Practical and flexible guidelines to help health professionals, law enforcement agencies, cult investigators, scientists, and the public at large assess those who proclaim their psychic ability. What testing procedures are needed to verify the presence of extraordinary powers? Can "psychics" pass the test of science? The stakes are high since poorly designed investigations into psychic phenomena can result in charlatans being mistaken as genuine. From outlining specific types of tests to developing full-scale experiential protocols to evaluate psychics, the authors demonstrate that the tools exist to detect and prevent fraud and deception. Chapters cover The Problem of Fraud; Initial Meetings with the Claimant; Working with Likely Tricksters; General Research Policies; Pilot Studies; Formal Research; Reporting Recommendations; and Proof versus Process-Oriented Research Conclusion.
