Charles Honorton — Biography & Research Contributions

Charles Honorton (1946–1992) was an American experimental parapsychologist noted for his dream-telepathy work at Maimonides Medical Center, for founding Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL) in Princeton (1979–1989), and for developing the computerized “autoganzfeld” system used in an extended series of ganzfeld ESP studies (1983–1989). He later moved to the University of Edinburgh (1991) and died in 1992.

 

Chronology

  • Teen years → early 1960s: Correspondence and summer work with J. B. Rhine at Duke University’s Parapsychology Laboratory (Durham, NC).
  • 1966–1967: Research fellow, Institute for Parapsychology (Durham, NC).
  • Late 1960s–1970s: Maimonides Medical Center Dream Laboratory (Brooklyn, NY) alongside Montague Ullman and Stanley Krippner.
  • 1979–1989: Founder/Director, Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL), Princeton, NJ.
  • 1983–1989: PRL autoganzfeld series (11 experiments; standardized, computerized platform).
  • 1991–1992: University of Edinburgh (PhD work); death in 1992.

Early Life and J. B. Rhine

As a teenager, Honorton engaged with the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory directed by J. B. Rhine. Exposure to forced-choice ESP testing, statistical controls, blind procedures, and disciplined record-keeping influenced his later focus on rigor and methodological refinement.

Maimonides Medical Center & Dream Telepathy Research

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Honorton collaborated with Montague Ullman and Stanley Krippner at the Maimonides Dream Laboratory. Their studies tested whether a sleeping “receiver” could incorporate target material “sent” by an isolated “sender.” Sessions featured REM monitoring, immediate dream reports, and blind judging against randomly selected target images.

  • Co-authored single-subject and series reports (including work with subject Malcolm Bessent).
  • Roles: protocol design, judging procedures, statistical evaluation.
  • Outreach/demonstration paper often cited from this period: an experiment involving The Grateful Dead.

Transition to Free-Response & Ganzfeld

Insights from dream research led Honorton to favor free-response paradigms (dreams, imagery, mentation transcripts) over traditional forced-choice card-guessing. He argued that reduced sensory noise and relaxed, imagery-rich states better support psi expression — motivating the laboratory ganzfeld procedure (homogeneous visual field, gentle auditory masking, role separation, blind judging).

Psychophysical Research Laboratories (PRL), Princeton

Founded in 1979, PRL was built for sustained ganzfeld experimentation and technical development. The lab implemented purpose-designed rooms with acoustic treatment, clear role separation (sender/receiver/experimenter), and meticulous record-keeping. Honorton introduced computerized randomization, automated stimulus presentation, and time-stamped logging — culminating in the autoganzfeld system that facilitated clean blinding and cross-lab adoption.

Autoganzfeld Snapshot (1983–1989)

  • Platform: computer-controlled target selection/presentation (static & dynamic targets), blind judging, electronic logs.
  • Design themes: sensory isolation, standardized scripts/checklists, sender–receiver acquaintance noted as a variable of interest.
  • Outcome patterns reported: better performance with dynamic (film) targets versus static images in the PRL series.
  • Funding acknowledgments (in publications): James S. McDonnell Foundation; John E. Fetzer Foundation.

Program-Level Syntheses & Meta-Analyses

  • Ganzfeld Meta-analysis (1985): Quantitative review emphasizing effect-size estimation and methodological moderators.
  • Forced-Choice Precognition Meta-analysis (1989, with Ferrari): Large database (1935–1987), summary statistics reported in the article’s abstract.
  • Psychological Bulletin review (1994, with Bem): Posthumous synthesis discussing replicable ganzfeld evidence and methodological refinements.

Training, Mentorship & Community

PRL served as a training hub where assistants and collaborators learned protocol discipline, session management, and data stewardship. Practices disseminated from PRL raised expectations for experimental hygiene in ganzfeld work across sites.

Key Milestones

  1. Early lab exposure with J. B. Rhine at Duke (forced-choice methods, statistical discipline).
  2. Maimonides dream-telepathy program (REM awakenings, blind judging, imagery-based scoring).
  3. Shift to free-response methods and adoption of ganzfeld.
  4. Founding of PRL; development of autoganzfeld (computerization, logging, standardized suites).
  5. Meta-analytic and program-level syntheses; cross-lab replicability emphasis.
  6. Move to Edinburgh (1991) and untimely death (1992).

 

 

Selected References

  • Honorton, C. (1967). Creativity and precognition scoring level. Journal of Parapsychology, 31, 29–42.
  • Honorton, C., & Stump, J. P. (1969). A preliminary study of hypnotically-induced clairvoyant dreams. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research, 63, 175–184.
  • Krippner, S., Ullman, M., & Honorton, C. (1971). A precognitive dream study with a single subject. JASPR, 65(2), 192–203.
  • Krippner, S., Honorton, C., & Ullman, M. (1972). A second precognitive dream study with Malcolm Bessent. JASPR, 66(3), 269–279.
  • Honorton, C., Drucker, S. A., & Hermon, H. (1973). Shifts in subjective state and ESP under partial sensory deprivation. JASPR, 67, 191–196.
  • Honorton, C., & Harper, S. (1974). Psi-mediated imagery and ideation in an experimental procedure for regulating perceptual input. JASPR, 68, 156–168.
  • Honorton, C. (1985). Meta-analysis of psi ganzfeld research: A response to Hyman. Journal of Parapsychology, 49(1), 51–91.
  • Hyman, R., & Honorton, C. (1986). A joint communiqué: The psi ganzfeld controversy. Journal of Parapsychology, 50, 351–364.
  • Honorton, C., & Ferrari, D. C. (1989). “Future telling”: A meta-analysis of forced-choice precognition experiments, 1935–1987. Journal of Parapsychology, 53, 281–308.
  • Honorton, C., Berger, R. E., Varvoglis, M. P., Quant, M., Derr, P., Schechter, E. I., & Ferrari, D. C. (1990). Psi communication in the ganzfeld: Experiments with an automated testing system and comparison with earlier studies. Journal of Parapsychology, 54, 99–139.
  • Bem, D. J., & Honorton, C. (1994). Does psi exist? Replicable evidence for an anomalous process of information transfer. Psychological Bulletin, 115(1), 4–18.