24 lines
1.4 KiB
Markdown
24 lines
1.4 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Sheep-Goat Effect
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aliases:
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- Sheep-Goat Effect
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- sheep-goat effect
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created: 2025-07-23
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updated: 2026-05-17
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tags:
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- Concept
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- Parapsychology
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- Research
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category: "Psi Phenomenon"
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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."
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start: 1942-01-01
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location: City University of New York
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---
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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]
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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]
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### Footnotes
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[^1]: Jacobsen, Annie. *Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis*. Little, Brown and Company, 2017.
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