UC Santa Barbara researchers are inviting local adults to participate in a large-scale international research collaboration investigating whether information can be transferred between individuals without seeing or hearing one another. The study is being conducted by the META Lab in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences and is open to residents aged 18 and older from Santa Barbara, Goleta, Carpinteria, and neighboring communities.
This initiative is part of the Ganzfeld Multi-Lab (GML) Project, which unites six research laboratories across multiple countries. The project aims to explore claims of extrasensory information transfer using standardized experimental procedures and careful controls. Importantly, researchers state that the project does not assume telepathy exists; rather, it seeks to test the hypothesis rigorously with data collected across multiple independent laboratories.
Participants will engage in the "Ganzfeld procedure," a longstanding experimental method used to investigate claims of extrasensory information transfer. During each session, two participants are assigned distinct roles. One individual, designated as the "sender," views visual information and attempts to mentally communicate it to the other participant. The second individual, the "receiver," is physically separated from the sender and experiences a controlled sensory environment specifically designed to reduce external distractions. Following this, the receiver completes a task to evaluate whether information about the sender’s target was identified more accurately than would be expected by chance.
Local adults aged 18 and older are eligible to participate, and no previous experience with psychology experiments, meditation, or telepathy is required. Each research session lasts approximately two hours and takes place in person at UC Santa Barbara. Participants receive $20 for each session. Individuals have the opportunity to return for a second session, during which they can switch roles to experience both sides of the experiment, earning up to $40 in total compensation. Participants may register independently or indicate someone they would like to participate with; however, both individuals must register and meet all eligibility requirements.
Key collaborators in the GML Project include research teams at UC Santa Barbara, Chapman University, and institutions in Germany, Hungary, and Brazil. By implementing a common experimental protocol across these various laboratories, the research team aims to obtain a larger dataset. This extensive data collection will help assess whether reported effects from earlier Ganzfeld experiments can be reliably reproduced. The project is organized through the Paradox Science Institute, an entity that supports research into unconventional scientific questions using rigorous empirical methods.
Participation in the study is voluntary, and individuals can withdraw from the research at any point. Detailed instructions and scheduling information are provided to eligible individuals following registration and screening. For questions or participant inquiries, individuals can contact [email protected]. The study operates under UCSB Institutional Review Board Protocol #241-26-0180.
