Psychokinesis (PK) is a modern term referring to the paranormal influence of mental activity on material objects or physical processes.
Apparently paranormal physical phenomena have been reported throughout history (e.g., levitations, healings, stigmata, poltergeist activity). In the West, these were often investigated by the Catholic Church when exorcism was being considered, or when examining claims of miracles.
However, it was the rise of spiritualism in the mid nineteenth century that led to scientific interest in these phenomena. Spiritualist seances in the 19th century were noted for physical manifestations, including raps, disembodied voices, object movements, materializations, and ectoplasmic productions.
Scientific investigations into such spiritualistic phenomena were pioneered by eminent physicists and chemists of the time, including Michael Faraday and William Crookes, and by the Society for Psychical Research (established in 1882).
In the 1930s, at Duke University, Joseph Banks Rhine established the world's first laboratory dedicated to formal testing of psychic abilities. In addition to his well-known experimental studies of extrasensory perception, Rhine also brought physical phenomena into the laboratory, initially by investigating gamblers' claims that they could influence the roulette wheel, or the fall of dice.
J.B. Rhine (right)
Rhine coined the term 'psychokinesis' (PK) to refer to such abilities and he devised a series of experimental testing procedures, mainly involving mechanical methods of tumbling dice (to stop participants using throwing skills).
Dice are still used by some parapsychologists to investigate PK, although a range of other methods have since been developed. Many of these test whether participants are able to influence randomly generated events occurring in a video game or simulated casino environment.
The links shown below allow you to test yourself on several PK games. These tests use a software random number generator to determine outcomes, and are designed to meet generally accepted experimental protocols (i.e., the tests are are not rigged).
You are most likely to score around chance levels on the tests. If you score highly, you may have just been lucky. On the other hand, especially if you can perform consistently well, it may suggest that you have real psychokinetic ability.
If this is the case, you should definitely try our Psychokinesis Championship. If you get one of the highest scores, we will even add you to our list of champions!
