Effect of Ambient Magnetic Field Fluctuations on Performance in a Free Response Anomalous Cognition Task: a Pilot Study

Retrospective analyses of putative spontaneous psi, or anomalous cognition (AC), events have shown a tendency for these to be reported on days of relatively low geomagnetic disturbance. Studies of past laboratory experiments have produced evidence that scores in successful AC experiments are negatively correlated to geomagnetic field (GMF) indices. Relevant characteristics of GMF activity and of the geomagnetic indices are discussed and a rationale for an experimental test of this effect is presented. A wide range of physical effects are correlated to the GMF indices and it is not presently possible to determine the exact physical parameter responsible for the GMF – AC correlations. In an exploratory experiment subjects were tested for AC in an apparatus where they could be shielded from the relatively large amplitude (> 1 nT) and slow (< 0.1 Hz) variations which are registered by the GMF indices used in the retrospective studies. The apparatus used a Helmholtz coil to generate a magnetic field which could both null out external variations and provide artificial magnetic noise for a control condition. AC performance in a free response task was compared, using a double blind protocol, between the shielded condition and conditions in which three kinds of magnetic noise were imposed upon subjects. In 68 trials the pilot study produced only weak evidence for AC (p = 0.3, effect size = 0.05) and, contrary to hypothesis, AC performance was slightly higher in the magnetically noisy, rather than shielded, condi-