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2008 Vol. 72(1) 109-132

Editor:
John A. Palmer, Ph.D.
Copyright: 
Parapsychology Press

Citation

Yung-Jong Shiah, Y.-J. (2008). (Article). The Finger-Reading Effect with Children: Two Unsuccessful Replications. Journal of Parapsychology, 72(1), 109-132.

Article

The Finger-Reading Effect with Children: Two Unsuccessful Replications

Yung-Jong Shiah

This article reports two attempted replications of finger-reading under controlled conditions. In Experiment 1, 18 children ages 7 to 12 years were tested individually to determine if by touching they could identify a 2-digit number in 1 of 4 different colors imprinted on a sheet of paper in the absence of visual cues. No significant finger-reading effect was found, and there were no significant relationships between finger-reading scores and questionnaire responses concerning imagery ability and paranormal beliefs. In Experiment 2, an attempt was made to screen talented participants in 3 steps: a selection study (SS), a confirmation study (CS), and a training study (TS); 2,200 children ages 6 to 13 years were invited to participate in the SS, of whom 1,771 did so; 1,655 completed 10 trials, and 820 obtained 1 or more hits in recognizing a 2-digit number with color; 728 of these completed all 20 trials in the CS with the same target stimuli. None scored any hits, so there was no TS. Controls against sensory leakage were less stringent in the SS than in the CS, which could account for the vast scoring difference. The 2 experiments failed to select children with the potential to develop finger-reading ability. Suggestions for future research are provided.

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