ABSTRACT
In March, 1974, a 46-item questionnaire was mailed to a randomly selected sample consisting of 300 students from the University of Virginia and 700 other adult residents of Charlottesville and surrounding suburbs. Items requested respondents to report the incidence and detailed characteristics of various psychic and psi-related experiences. Information concerning attitudes and the personal impact of such experiences was solicited, as well as demographic data.
Usable questionnaires were obtained from 89% of the student sample and 51% of the town sample. Claims of psychic and psi-related experiences were rather wide-spread: over half of the respondents claimed at least one ESP experience, for example. There also was a tendency for persons who claimed psychic or psi-related experiences to claim a large number of them. Variables related to naturally-occurring altered states (e.g., vividness and frequency of dream recall) tended to be strong predictors of such experiences, while demographic variables generally were poor predictors. However, there was a strong negative relationship between age and claims of déjà vu experiences. Many respondents indicated that psychic or psi-related experiences affected their attitudes toward life and/or life-styles.
