American Institutes for Research (AIC)
American Institutes for Research (AIC) is an independent
not-for-profit corporation founded in 1946 by John C. Flanagan
that conducts research in the behavioral and social science.
Over the years it has become a large operation with several offices
on both coasts. Though not known for any participation
in psychical research or parapsyhcology, in 1995 AIC was
plunged into the middle of a major controversy when it was
asked to assemble a panel for a review of Project STAR GATE,
the program of government-sponsored research on parapsychology.
AIC invited Ray Hyman, a respected psychologist from the
University of Oregon with a long history of statements critical
of parapsychological research, and Jessica Utts, a statistician
from the University of Californria-Davis, who had written favorably
on psychic phenomena. In addition, Dr. Lincoln Moses
an Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, AIC president
David A. Goslin, and two senior scientists from AIC participated
in the review. The panel were given a variety of research
data on remote viewing, the major technique utilized and investigated
by Project STAR GATE. Utts prepared a report suggesting
that a statistically significant demonstration of a psychic
effect was revealed in the study. Hyman critiqued that reports
suggesting that the positive results had not been shown to be
from the operation of psychic phenomena. They then looked
at the gathering of intelligence data through remote viewing
that was seen as quite different than the laboratory experiments.
The panel concluded that the use of remote viewing in
intelligence gathering had, at best, limited applications. These
ambiguous results were considered negative enough that Operation
STAR GATE was closed and much of the material accumulated
made public.
The AIC report was criticized by Edwin May, a physicist who
have overseen much of the actual research, who complained
that the best material had been withheld form the panel.
Sources
Operation Star Gate. httpwww.parascope.comarticles
starGateDocs.htm. April 19, 2000.
