i love how even the studies that support psi effects being real have really small effect sizes, like can you imagine if psi was real but gives you like, a 51% chance of guess correctly at a 50/50 chance
@triviallytrue said:
do you mean ESP? i’ve never heard the acronym PSI
for some reason parapsychology researchers call it psi, even tho it should really be psy. its definitely not an acryonym. it might be like, a…translation thing? spanish for psychology starts with psi
means you can abbreviate it as Ψ
wikipedia on psionics mentions a claim that that’s actually the source:
In 1942, two authors—biologist Bertold Wiesner and psychologist Robert Thouless—had introduced the term “psi” (from ψ psi, 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet) to parapsychology in an article published in the British Journal of Psychology.[7] (This Greek character was chosen as apropos since it is the initial letter of the Greek word ψυχή [psyche]—meaning “mind” or “soul”.[8][9]) The intent was that “psi” would represent the “unknown factor” in extrasensory perception and psychokinesis, experiences believed to be unexplained by any known physical or biological mechanisms.[10][11] In a 1972 book,[12] Thouless insisted that he and Wiesner had coined this usage of the term “psi” prior to its use in science fiction circles, explaining that their intent was to provide a more neutral term than “ESP” that would not suggest a pre-existing theory of mechanism.[13]
but it could just be people liked “psionics” more than “psyonics” and the abbreviation came from that, idk.
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#(the language bit is neat too but I’m primarily reblogging for the OP) #yes this
Brinens and Things 