What does the Portuguese-language parapsychology literature show about telepathy?

Portuguese-language parapsychology literature on telepathy

Before drawing any conclusions, an important scope note is required: the ESP-Nexus library’s share of the published literature on this question has not been measured. The evidence below reflects studies currently held in the library — treat this as a summary of what the library holds, not a settled account of the field. The published literature on this topic in Portuguese extends well beyond what any single database is likely to capture.

With that qualification stated: the numbered sources retrieved for this question contain no Portuguese-language parapsychology literature on telepathy. The retrieved sources are mid-twentieth-century issues of the Journal of Parapsychology, a philosophical article on Peirce and the paranormal, and a 1956 Journal of Parapsychology issue — all English-language, none addressing Portuguese-language research.

What the structured evidence block shows

The 25-study evidence block for the GESP/telepathy phenomenon draws entirely on English-language research programs (Sheldrake, Schmidt, Stedall, Silberstein, Wahbeh, Vernon, Johnstad, Rey, and others). None of the rows is identified as originating from Portuguese-language literature or Brazilian/Portuguese research programs.

The overall picture across those studies is mixed:

StudyMetricDirection
Sheldrake (2025) meta-analysis, k=23Standardized ESPositive
Stedall (2025), N=604 trialsHit rateNull
Silberstein (2024), N=10 participantsCohen’s dPositive
Rey (2010), N=2400 trialsHit rateNull
Schmidt (2009), Study 1, N=397 trialsCohen’s hNull
Vernon (2020), N=105 trialsCohen’s dNull

Six result rows report null or below-chance outcomes, and the metrics across studies are not poolable (hit rates and standardized effect sizes measure different things). That heterogeneity is itself a settled signal in the evidence.

On the specific Portuguese-language question

The ESP-Nexus library does not, in the sources retrieved for this question, contain studies from the Brazilian parapsychology tradition (e.g., research published in Revista de Psiquiatria Clínica, proceedings of Brazilian parapsychology congresses, or work associated with Brazilian institutions such as the Instituto Brasileiro de Pesquisas Psíquicas) or from Portuguese academic programs. Whether the library holds such material that was simply not retrieved for this query, or whether this segment of the literature is not yet indexed, cannot be determined from the retrieved excerpts alone.

What this means for your question

If your interest is specifically in the Portuguese-language parapsychology tradition — which has a distinct history, including significant early twentieth-century Brazilian spiritist-adjacent research and more recent controlled experimental work — the ESP-Nexus library as currently retrieved does not provide coverage of it on this topic. The Studies section and Phenomena pages may hold additional material not surfaced here, and the library’s digitization of pre-2000 parapsychology proceedings (a known gap noted in the project’s roadmap) is one area where Portuguese-language contributions would likely appear if indexed.

The studies behind this answer
PaperReported findingEffect / significanceBasis
Sheldrake et al. (2025), Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition [source]Overall telepathy condition – standardized effect size.ES 0.17, p = 1 × 10−723 studies
Stedall et al. (2025), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Overall hit rate, all 117 participants.z = -0.61, p = .76, hit rate 0.486N = 604 trials; 117 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2024), Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition (JAEX) [source]Experiment 4 – detached callers.p = .01, hit rate 0.57N = 266 trials
Silberstein et al. (2024), Frontiers in Human Neuroscience [source]Experiment-wide trinomial test of Receiver FC anomalous interaction.ES 0.85, p = 4 × 10−8N = 10 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2024), Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition (JAEX) [source]Experiment 4 – spaced trials, detached callers.p = .01, hit rate 0.57N = 266 trials
Wahbeh et al. (2023), EXPLORE [source]Telepathic/Pre-Selected – Completers.p < .001, hit rate 0.481N = 210 trials; 105 participants
Vernon et al. (2020), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Primary one-sample t-test: first-choice hit rate vs chance.ES 0.2, p = .17, hit rate 0.2476N = 105 trials; 21 participants
Johnstad (2020), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Prevalence of reported psychedelic telepathy among interviewees.prevalence 0.4N = 40 participants
Vernon et al. (2020), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Primary analysis: target ranked 1st.ES 0.2, p = .17, hit rate 0.2476N = 21 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2015), EXPLORE [source]Experiment 1: all tests pooled.ES 0.19, p < 1 × 10−15, hit rate 0.418N = 2080 trials
Rey et al. (2010), Zeitschrift fuer Anomalistik / Journal of Anomalistics [source]H1 Telepathy condition.p = .26, hit rate 0.2054N = 2400 trials; 96 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2009), Psychological Reports [source]Overall hit rate, 500 completed tests.ES 0.03, p = .002, hit rate 0.267N = 6000 trials
Schmidt et al. (2009), The Open Psychology Journal [source]Study 1 – Hypothesis 1.ES 0.04, z = 0.78, p = .23, hit rate 0.267N = 397 trials; 21 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2009), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Overall hit rate.ES 0.2, p = 1 × 10−4, hit rate 0.418N = 419 trials
Sheldrake et al. (2009), Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing [source]Overall SMS guessing test.ES 0.1, p = .001, hit rate 0.379N = 886 trials
Sheldrake et al. (2007), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Overall hit rate – 198 completed 10-trial tests.p = 6 × 10−6, hit rate 0.293N = 1980 trials
Sheldrake et al. (2005), Perceptual and Motor Skills [source]Series 1 overall.ES 0.42, z = 9.49, p = 2 × 10−19, hit rate 0.43N = 552 trials; 50 participants
Sheldrake (2004), Revista Argentina de Psicologia Paranormal [source]Overall unfilmed series.p = 4 × 10−16, hit rate 0.4N = 571 trials; 63 participants
Sheldrake et al. (2003), Journal of Scientific Exploration [source]Majority scoring, all 19 key words – RPA/BRA headline.hit rate 0.197N = 117 trials
Sheldrake et al. (2003), Journal of the Society for Psychical Research [source]Overall caller identification.p = 4 × 10−16, hit rate 0.4k = 4; N = 571 trials; 63 participants
Source: ESP-Nexus structured study database (25 studies; the table shows the 20 highest-ranked). ESP-Nexus reports what each study found and takes no position on whether the effects are genuine.
References
  1. Sheldrake, R., Stedall, T., & Tressoldi, P. E. (2025). Telecommunication Telepathy: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition, 5(1), 47–69. https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.25934
  2. Stedall, T., & Tressoldi, P. E. (2025). Who is calling? An Independent Replication of a Telephone Telepathy Test. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 39(2), 203–206. https://doi.org/10.31275/20253543
  3. Sheldrake, R., & Stedall, T. (2024). A Comparison of Four New Automated Telephone Telepathy Tests. Journal of Anomalous Experience and Cognition (JAEX), 4(1), 122–141. https://doi.org/10.31156/jaex.25250
  4. Silberstein, R. B., & Bigelow, F. J. (2024). Brain functional connectivity correlates of anomalous interaction between sensorily isolated monozygotic twins. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1388049
  5. Wahbeh, H., Cannard, C., Radin, D., & Delorme, A. (2023). Who’s calling? Evaluating the accuracy of guessing who is on the phone. EXPLORE. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2023.08.008
  6. Vernon, D., Sandford, T., & Moyo, E. (2020). Using Virtual Reality to Test for Telepathy: A Proof-of-Concept Study. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 34(4), 683–702. https://doi.org/10.31275/20201833
  7. Johnstad, P. G. (2020). Psychedelic Telepathy: An Interview Study. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 34(3), 493–512. https://doi.org/10.31275/20201747
  8. Sheldrake, R., Smart, P., & Avraamides, L. (2015). Automated Tests for Telephone Telepathy Using Mobile Phones. EXPLORE, 11(4), 310–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2015.04.001
  9. Rey, G. D., Berens, K., Dietz, E., Hesser, M., Schaefer, S., & Schirmer, A. (2010). Konzeptuelle Replikationsstudie zu Experimenten zur Aussersinnlichen Wahrnehmung (Conceptual Replication Study of Experiments on Extrasensory Perception). Zeitschrift fuer Anomalistik / Journal of Anomalistics, 10, 58–115.
  10. Sheldrake, R., & Beharee, A. (2009). A Rapid Online Telepathy Test. Psychological Reports, 104, 957–970. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.104.3.957-970
  11. Schmidt, S., Erath, D., Ivanova, V., & Walach, H. (2009). Do You Know Who is Calling? Experiments on Anomalous Cognition in Phone Call Receivers. The Open Psychology Journal, 2, 12–18.
  12. Sheldrake, R., & Avraamides, L. (2009). An Automated Test for Telepathy in Connection with Emails. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 23(1), 29–36.
  13. Sheldrake, R., Avraamides, L., & Novák, M. (2009). Sensing the sending of SMS messages: an automated test. Explore: The Journal of Science and Healing, 272–276.
  14. Sheldrake, R., & Lambert, M. (2007). An Automated Online Telepathy Test. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 21(3), 511–522.
  15. Sheldrake, R., & Smart, P. (2005). Testing for Telepathy in Connection with E-mails. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 101, 771–786.
  16. Sheldrake, R. (2004). Investigaciones Experimentales En Telepatia Por Telefono (Experimental Research on Telephone Telepathy). Revista Argentina de Psicologia Paranormal, 15(3-4), 209–230.
  17. Sheldrake, R., & Morgana, A. (2003). Testing a Language-Using Parrot for Telepathy. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 17(4), 601–616.
  18. Sheldrake, R., & Smart, P. (2003). Experimental Tests for Telephone Telepathy. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 67(872), 184–199.

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Last updated: 2026-08-30 22:57:16

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ESP-Nexus reports published parapsychology research as written by its own authors. Source-fidelity to cited documents is audited on every page; the site takes no position on the epistemic status of parapsychological claims themselves.