LOCATION OF TARGET MATERIAL IN SPACE AND TIME

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Body:  Approved For Release 2000/08/08: CIA-RAE0N89R002200060001-1
 Interim Report- -Objective E, Task 2
 LOCATION OF TARGET MATERIAL
 IN SPACE AND TIME (U)
 By:     NEVIN D. LANTZ        EDWIN C. MAY
 Prepared for:
 PETER J. McNELIS, DSW
 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE
 CONTRACT DAMD 17-85-C-5130
 WARNING NOTICE
 RESTRICTED DISSEMINATION TO THOSE WITH VERIFIED ACCESS
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 ved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA9R"89R002200060001-1
 Interim Report- -Objective E, Task 2
 Covering the Period 1 October 1985 to 30 September 1986
 LOCATION OF TARGET MATERIAL
 IN SPACE AND TIME (U)
 By:     NEVIN D. LANTZ        EDWIN C. MAY
 Prepared for:
 PETER J. McNELIS, DSW
 CONTRACTING OFFICER'S TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE
 CONTRACT DAMD 17-85-C-5130
 SRI Project 1291
 WARNING NOTICE
 RESTRICTED DISSEMINATION TO THOSE WITH VERIFIED ACCESS
 TO THE
 Approved by:
 ROBERT S. LEONARD, Executive Director
 Geoscience and Engineering Center
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 UNCLASSIFIED
 ABSTRACT (U)
 (U)  One reported psychoenergetic skill, known to the general public as "dowsing," is
 the ability to locate lost or hidden items of interest.  In an effort to bring this putative ability
 that we call "search" into the laboratory, we conducted a computer-assisted-search (CAS)
 experiment. Participants scanned a computer graphics display and attempted to locate a
 hidden computer-generated target. We explored two conditions: (1) the target was fixed in
 space--space condition, and (2) the target was randomly shifting. locations each
 millisecond--time condition.  Eight of 36 participants showed an above chance ability (p <
 0.027) to find computer-generated targets in our laboratory simulation of dowsing. This
 replicates and extends the results of work done in FY 1984, and provides a pool of
 individuals for a formal study of search techniques.
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 I INTRODUCTION (U)
 (S)  A continuing requirement of the intelligence community is
 determining the location of tactical and strategic military targets of
 interest, whose positions are not known or are known only approximately.
 Examples range from the location of (1) a "bug" in a secure facility,  (2) a
 command post in a tactical situation, or (3) a submarine in a strategic
 situation.
 (S)   It has been claimed by the parapsychological community that
 individuals can search for and locate water, oil, minerals, objects,
 individuals, sites of archaeological significance, and so forth.   If this
 can be demonstrated to be a genuine ability, and if it can be applied to
 targets of military interest, then we may have a potential match to the
 above requirement.
 (S)  This ability can be contrasted to the related psychoenergetic
 ability "remote viewing," in the following manner.   In remote viewing, the
 viewer is given location information (e.g., coordinates,   a "beacon" agent,
 or a picture),  then asked to provide data on target content  (e.g., BW R&D
 facility).   In "search," the viewer is given information on target content,
 then asked to provide location data (e.g., position on a map).  The two
 functions thus compliment each other.
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 (U)  The ability to locate targets is most often referred to as "dowsing" in the Western
 literature, and "biophysical effect (BPE)" in the Soviet/East Bloc literature.  In this report, *
 we shall refer to such techniques simply as "search."  Although much of the literature is
 anecdotal, t t attempts to quantify the ability and to determine its mechanisms have been
 pursued. t
 (S) The goal of the present effort is to research the literature,
 then perform laboratory experimentation to determine whether, and to what
 degree, such functioning is a viable candidate for application to
 intelligence-collection tasks.   This includes determining (1) the best
 methods and efficiencies of various search techniques, and (2) the
 appropriate statistical analyses for evaluating results.
 (U)    In attempting to determine if this putative ability can be brought under laboratory
 control, we have simulated "field conditions" with a computer-assisted-search (CAS)
 experiment.
 (U)    Our CAS experiments generally contain the following basic elements:
 (1)
 (3)
 (2) An individual whose task is to "scan" the graphics display area, and
 A finite matrix of possible target locations (e.g., a 20 x 20 graphics
 matrix grid) from which one cell is randomly selected by the computer
 as the target.
 indicate, by pressing a button, his/her choice as to the target location.
 A feedback mechanism that displays the response and actual target
 location.
 (4) An a priori defined analysis procedure.
 (U)   Using this general procedure, we conducted an experiment during FY 1984 in
 which two conditions were tested simultaneously: t ?
 ?   Searching for a target that remains fixed in space for the duration of the
 trial (space condition).
 *
 (U) This report constitutes Objective E, Task 2: Develop methodologies to locate target material in space
 and/or time.
 t(U) For the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of the claims for dowsing, see Christopher Bird,
 The Divining Hand, E. P. Dutton, New York, New York (1979).
 (U) See, for example, papers published by Z. V. Harvalik, beginning 1970, in The American Dowser,
 The Journal of the American Society of Dowsers (Harvalik is the ex-director of the basic research group
 at the TT C   Arm
 y
 (U) References are listed at the end of this document.
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 (U)
 ?  Searching for a target that is rapidly moving in space (time condition).
 Seven individuals, who were blind to the space/time condition, were asked to contribute 50
 trials (25 space, 25 time).  Five of them produced independently significant results: three in
 time only and two in space only.  The most interesting aspect of our earlier result is that no
 participant was successful at both space and time conditions.
 (U)  During FY 1986, our effort was to replicate the previous findings and provide
 additional information on possible personality correlations using the Personality Assessment
 System (PAS) .2 Although locating computer-generated targets is academically interesting, it
 may not assist in locating objects in the "real world."  This premise is of paramount interest
 and will be addressed during FY 1987.
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 II METHOD OF APPROACH (U)
 A.    (U)  Selection of Subjects
 (U)  A pilot study was conducted to select participants for a formal test, and to refine
 the protocol.  From the overall subject pool amassed for our FY 1986 experiments,
 participants were selected on the basis of availability and interest. This pool currently contains
 both "novice" subjects (persons who have never participated in psychoenergetic experiments)
 and "experienced" subjects (those who have).
 (U) A Sun Microsystems work-station computer was used to conduct all aspects of the
 pilot experiment.  This computer system is noted for its high- resolution graphics display and
 graphics input device.
 (U)  The approach chosen here was a modification of a procedure originally developed
 by Dr. Dean I. Radin at Bell Laboratories for evaluating geometric-distance scores in a
 perceptual task.3 In this approach, we begin by constructing the target area of interest in the
 form of a square.  A grid system is then laid down over the square in the form of an n x n
 matrix, to yield n2 separate grid cells (e.g., 400 for a 20 x 20 grid). The computer randomly
 selects one of the grid cells as the target for a particular trial.  The subject's task is to
 "locate" the target cell.  After the subject responds, both the choice and the target are
 displayed. A trial is defined as a single response (button press) associated with a single target
 location.
 (U)  In our experiment, a bounded area representing the perimeter of a 20 x 20 cell
 matrix was shown to the participant, who could "search" for the target by moving a graphics
 pointing device (mouse) which controlled a cursor.  By pressing a button on the mouse the
 participant could indicate his/her response.  Each participant was told (1) the target could be
 any place within the display boundary, (2) move the cursor around the bounded area, and (3)
 when the moment "seemed right," to register his/her choice by pressing the button on the
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 (U)
 mouse.  The computer was programmed to give immediate feedback to the participant
 following each trial by automatically displaying the target cell as a filled square and the
 participant's choice as a shaded square with a line connecting the two (see Figure 1).  After
 several seconds of the feedback display, the computer recycled to the next trial.
 p (d)
 Probability of d < r
 FIGURE 1   (U) SEARCH MATRIX
 (U) To test a participant in the space condition, the target location was fixed
 throughout the trial. To test the time condition, the target location was changed once each
 millisecond.  During the screening phase of the experiment, the computer selected one of the
 conditions for each trial by a balanced random protocol. The participant and experimenter
 were blind as to which condition was being presented on any given trial.  Participant choices
 versus computer selections were stored for future analysis.  Each participant was asked to
 produce 10 trials per session.  In the pilot phase, 36 individuals completed 50 trials--25 trials
 in each of the two conditions studied.
 (U)   In summary, our experimental design includes:
 Hypothesis---In the absence of known sensory information, it is possible
 to determine a "hidden," computer-derived target location to a
 significant degree.
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 (U)
 ?   Independent Variable--Target location is on a 20 x 20 matrix grid.
 ?   Dependent Variable--Geometric distance (d) is between choice and
 target:
 d =    (Yt - Yc)2 + (Xt - Xc
 C.    (U) Analysis
 (U) Using the grid as an approximation to a continuum, we can calculate exactly the a
 priori chance distribution that any given search response would lie at any given distance from
 a particular target location.  From this, an evaluation can be made as to the quality of a single
 response (see Figure 1).
 (U) To estimate the probability of observing a distance (d), the following calculations
 are performed:
 ?   For the actual target position used in the trial, a distribution consisting of
 all possible (400) distances is constructed.
 ?   The probability (p-value) of observing the distance (d) or less is given
 by
 r