parapsychology

parapsychology
/par'euh suy kol"euh jee/, n.
the branch of psychology that deals with the investigation of purportedly psychic phenomena, as clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, telepathy, and the like.
[1925-30; PARA-1 + PSYCHOLOGY]

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Discipline concerned with investigating events that cannot be accounted for by natural law and knowledge that cannot have been obtained through the usual sensory abilities.

Parapsychology studies the cognitive phenomena often called extrasensory perception, in which a person acquires knowledge of other people's thoughts or of future events through channels apparently beyond the five senses. It also examines physical phenomena such as the levitation of objects and the bending of metal through psychokinesis. Though belief in such phenomena may be traced to earliest times, parapsychology as a subject of serious research originated in the late 19th century, partly in reaction to the growth of the spiritualist movement. The Society of Psychical Research was established in London in 1882, and similar societies were later founded in the U.S. and in many European countries. In the 20th century research into parapsychology was also conducted at some universities, notably at Duke University under J. B. Rhine.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • parapsychology — par a*psy*chol o*gy n. The field of study concerned with psychological phenomena not explainable by the laws of physics, especially extrasensory perception, telepathy, psychokinesis, precognition, and clairvoyance. Note: The field is… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • parapsychology — (n.) 1924, from PARA (Cf. para ) beside + PSYCHOLOGY (Cf. psychology) …   Etymology dictionary

  • parapsychology — ► NOUN ▪ the study of mental phenomena which are outside the sphere of orthodox psychology (such as hypnosis or telepathy). DERIVATIVES parapsychological adjective parapsychologist noun …   English terms dictionary

  • parapsychology — [par΄əsī käl′ə jē] n. [ PARA 1 + PSYCHOLOGY] the branch of psychology that investigates psychic phenomena, such as telepathy, extrasensory perception, or clairvoyance parapsychological [par΄əsī΄kə läj′i kəl] adj. parapsychologist n …   English World dictionary

  • Parapsychology — American psychologist and philosopher William James (1842–1910) was an early psychical researcher.[1] Part of a series of artic …   Wikipedia

  • parapsychology — [[t]pæ̱rəsaɪkɒ̱ləʤi[/t]] N UNCOUNT Parapsychology is the study of strange mental abilities that seem to exist but cannot be explained by accepted scientific theories …   English dictionary

  • parapsychology — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1925 a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence for paranormal psychological phenomena (as telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis) • parapsychological adjective •… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • parapsychology — noun /ˌpɛrəˌsaɪˈkɑlədʒi/ The study of that which cannot yet be explained; psychic or occult phenomena, such as telepathy and ghosts. See Also: metaphysics, paranormal …   Wiktionary

  • parapsychology — The study of extrasensory perception, such as thought transference (telepathy) and clairvoyance. * * * para·psy·chol·o·gy .par ə (.)sī käl ə jē n, pl gies a field of study concerned with the investigation of evidence fo …   Medical dictionary

  • parapsychology — The study of allegedly paranormal phenomena. Also known as psychical research …   Philosophy dictionary

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