Speaker Bio
David J. Acunzo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. After earning a degree in telecommunications engineering from IMT Atlantique (France), David obtained his PhD in neuroinformatics from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and then held research positions at CIMeC – Center for Brain/Mind Sciences, University of Trento (Italy), and the Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham (UK). He has worked on a diverse array of cognitive neuroscience topics, including vision, attention, and semantic processing, using various computational and functional neuroimaging techniques, such as EEG, MEG, and fMRI.
Abstract: A neuro-phenomenological approach to studying remote viewing
Description: Research in remote viewing has mostly been evidence-based, and strongly suggests that anomalous processes are at play. However, little is known about the mechanisms involved in the generation of the recipient’s impressions. Past process-oriented research has mostly focused on the nature of targets, with some neurophysiological experiments that have shed little light on the nature of the phenomenon.
After a quick review of past process-oriented research in remote viewing, we will present novel empirical approaches and explain their potential. First, we will explain how micro-phenomenology interviewing methods have the potential to gather additional information for both increasing the accuracy of the targets’ descriptions and for uncovering some of the processes at play while the percipient is getting their impressions. Second, we will talk about how pairing micro-phenomenology with neurophysiological recording has the potential to identify neural signatures associated with the various processes at play in remote viewing. We will illustrate our statements with preliminary data.