---
title: Sheep-Goat Effect
aliases:
  - Sheep-Goat Effect
  - sheep-goat effect
created: 2025-07-23
updated: 2026-05-17
tags:
  - Concept
  - Parapsychology
  - Research
category: "Psi Phenomenon"
summary: "The sheep-goat effect is a term coined by parapsychologist Gertrude Schmeidler in 1942 to describe the tendency for individuals who believe in psi phenomena to score better in ESP and psychokinesis experiments than skeptics."
start: 1942-01-01
location: City University of New York
---

The sheep-goat effect is a term coined by parapsychologist [[Gertrude Schmeidler]] in 1942 to describe the tendency for individuals who believe in [[Psi|psychic]] phenomena (sheep) to score better in [[Extrasensory Perception|ESP]] and [[Psychokinesis|PK]] experiments than those who are skeptical (goats).[^1]

Schmeidler, a Harvard-educated experimental psychologist, conducted experiments with psychology students at the City University of New York. Her analysis of the data led her to create this distinction, which has become a well-known concept in [[Parapsychology]]. The sheep-goat divide is not only present in the general population but also existed within the U.S. military and intelligence communities, influencing the dynamics of government-sponsored psychic research.[^1]

### Footnotes

[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.