ANOMALOUS PREDICTION OF QUANTUM PROCESSES BY SOME HUMAN SUBJECTS,
Abstract
The inherent randomness of quantum processes was utilized in a device which should generate the numbers 1,2,3,4 in randon sequence. Preliminary tests suggested that at least one person could, under psychologically favorable conditions, predict the number which the device would generate next, with a probability slightly higher than the expected 1/4. As such an ability of a person would not be consistent with basic axioms of quantum theory, two experiments were made under extremely well controlled conditions. In these experiments carefully preselected persons were asked to guess repeatedly the number to be generated next. In the first experiment three persons obtained a total of n=16458 hits out of N=63066 trials. Here n lies 6.36 standard deviations above the expectation value N/4. In the second experiment, a deviation of 6.55 standard deviations was obtained in 20000 trials. Before taking this result seriously as an indication that a basic axiom of quantum theory might be violated, attempts for a less drastic explanation of the high scores were considered. None could be found. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0684490
Entities
People
- Helmut Schmidt
Organizations
- Boeing