Flesh and Stone: The Anima Project puts clairvoyance and precognition under mathematical scrutiny

The Anima Project puts clairvoyance and precognition under mathematical scrutiny
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Kathlyn Stone on 01 June, 2008 09:00:00
 
A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE WEB-BASED CARD MATCHING GAME MIGHT END THE DEBATE OF WHETHER
PARANORMAL PHENOMENA EXISTS, ACCORDING TO KEITH COMITO, PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
AND CREATOR OF THE ANIMA PROJECT.
“I created the site because the subject of the paranormal has always
interested me, but the scientific literature on the subject was always
lacking,” Comito wrote in an email to Flesh and Stone. “It seems that
skeptics and believers are content to argue with each other blindly for
centuries instead of settling the issue with definitive and mathematically sound
testing, hopefully I can take a step towards altering that.”
Combining his mathematics degrees (a BS and an MS in applied mathematics from
Hofstra University, Long Island, NY) and his programming skills, Comito did the
site’s coding and design himself over a three-year period. “I did most of
the mathematics myself but the PhDs at Hofstra gave me a few pointers here and
there,” he said. Comito is employed as a lead programmer for a marketing firm.
Since its launch in April, The Anima Project has drawn more than 500 users who
have participated in more than 24,000 trials but Comito still needs a lot more
data to conduct a worthy analysis. He encourages participation from the general
public; at least a few hundred trials (or guesses as to which match among five
cards is hidden) per user is necessary. Once enough data is gathered from the
trials, Comito will use mathematical tools to compare the overall user results
to what is expected by chance and thereby determine the veracity of paranormal
phenomena.
The Anima Project is unique in that it "plies the scientific method to a field
commonly derided as pseudo-science, establishing a protocol for legitimate and
reproducible analysis of the occult", says Comito. He believes his project is
the first to bring clairvoyance and precognition under the lens of “rigorous
science.”  His statistical techniques include goodness-of-fit testing and runs
analysis. Comito says he’s also eliminated the potential for human error and
bias.
Both believers and skeptics are invited to participate in the project. Comito
has contacted the James Randi Educational Foundation, headed by skeptic James
Randi, about including The Anima Project in its One Million Dollar Paranormal
Challenge.
Does Comito believe there will be some statistically significant result?
“My hunch is that there will be some significant results, but that
sophisticated statistical techniques will be needed to tease them out.”
Comito hopes to have a full analysis ready in 2010.