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Testing ESP |
The following example (metaphorically and physically) illustrates the power of the "concept of hypothesis testing" in introducing objectivity in any type of research. This could range from social science to medicine. This concept is explained by an example on Extra Sensory Perception (ESP). A person with ESP is normally is looked at with suspicion as ESP cannot be validated with exact science with measurements and readings. But with "Testing of Hypothesis" ESP or Sixth Sense can be tested or validated objectively.
Suppose there are 50 red and black cards and a person guesses the color of 32 cards out of 50 cards correctly , in an experiment. In this experiment the person with ESP is supposed to guess the color of cards correctly. The cards are displayed in one room and the person with ESP is in next room. He/she has no prior knowledge of the color arrangement of the cards.
Under normal situations if a person guesses the color of 50 cards out of 50 cards correctly, he is supposed to have some unsual power of foresight called ESP. Also if a person guesses 0 out of 50 cards correctly, he is supposed to have no foresight or no ESP. Now we try to answer the following important question statistically.
OUT OF 50 CARDS HOW MANY CARDS SHOULD BE GUESSED CORRECTLY IN ORDER TO BE 99% SURE THAT THE PERSON HAS ESP?
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Statistical Illustration of the Example |
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Statistical Solution to ESP Example |
