Joop Houtkooper
Joop M. Houtkooper
Joop M. Houtkooper is a parapsychology researcher whose work spans theoretical frameworks for psi phenomena and experimental design in ganzfeld and psychophysiological ESP research.
Career and affiliations
Houtkooper was affiliated with the Centre for Psychobiology and Behavioral Medicine at Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Germany [3]. The sources retrieved for this question document his work from the mid-1980s onward, including collaborative research with Erlendur Haraldsson (University of Iceland) and Loftur R. Gissurarson.
Research directions
Observational theory
Houtkooper developed and applied observational theory as a framework for understanding paranormal phenomena [3]. This theoretical approach centers on the role of the observer in quantum mechanics as the central concept for explaining psi. Houtkooper’s work traced the lineage of observational theories, noting the term was coined in 1977, followed by a review in 1978 [3].
He designed experimental tests of observational theory, including a blind-matching study and a ganzfeld experiment carried out in collaboration with others. A 1989 ganzfeld experiment aimed in part to demonstrate the role of feedback in ganzfeld protocols using an observational framework [3].
Ganzfeld and experimenter effects
Houtkooper and Gissurarson, together with Erlendur Haraldsson, investigated why the ganzfeld condition facilitates ESP scoring, examining observational theory and the percipient-order effect [4].
Earlier, Houtkooper and Haraldsson examined experimenter effects in a plethysmographic ESP experiment, investigating whether experimenter influence could affect psi task performance via physiological measures [5].
Meta-analysis and critical commentary
Houtkooper co-authored a 2006 critique on psychokinesis meta-analyses, published as a comment in Psychological Bulletin, examining statistical methods and publication-selection effects in reviews of the psychokinesis literature [1]. He also contributed to a broader 2006 assessment of mind-matter interaction effects in the Journal of Scientific Exploration [2].
For a fuller profile, see Joop M. Houtkooper.
References
- Radin, D. I., Nelson, R. D., Dobyns, Y., & Houtkooper, J. (2006). Reexamining psychokinesis: Comment on Bösch, Steinkamp, and Boller (2006). Psychological Bulletin, 132, 529–532. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.4.529
- Radin, D. I., Nelson, R. D., Dobyns, Y., & Houtkooper, J. (2006). Assessing the evidence for mind-matter interaction effects. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 20, 361–374.
- Houtkooper, J. (2002). Arguing for an Observational Theory of Paranormal Phenomena. Journal of Scientific Exploration.
- Joop Houtkooper, Gissurarson, Loftur R., Erlendur Haraldsson (1988). Why the Ganzfeld Is Conducive to ESP: A Study of Observational Theory and the Percipient-Order Effect. European Journal of Parapsychology, 7, 169–192.
- Houtkooper, J., & Haraldsson, E. (1985). Experimenter Effects in a Plethysmographic ESP Experiment. European Journal of Parapsychology, 5, 313–326.
More questions answered
- Pool the effect sizes across every ganzfeld study you hold and compare your number to the published Storm and Tressoldi meta-analyses—do they agree?
- Has the effect size for PK data increased in the last 50 years?
- Tell me about the clairvoyance work of the last 50 years
- What trends can you see in precognition research?
- What trends can you see in ESP research in the last 50 years?
- What are parapsychology's current arguments to justify that the phenomena are real and should be taken seriously?