Precognitive priming of compound remote associates: using an implicit creative insight task to elicit precognition

Precognition encapsulates the notion that something that occurs in the future can influence cognition and/or behaviour now. However, a number of recent research projects examining this aspect of parapsychology have failed to produce consistent results. Nevertheless, some light may be shed on these disparate findings by a recent meta-analysis which suggests that what may be considered fast/implicit type tasks are more able to elicit such effects as compared to slower/explicit type tasks. Given this, and the proposed link between an individual’s creativity and their ability to exhibit psi type behaviours, the current study attempted to elicit a precognitive effect using a creative insight task. The task involved presenting participants with three words and requiring them to come up with a fourth related word. This ‘compound remote associates’ task is a standard test for creative insight. Here, the added twist was that participants were primed with the correct answer to half the items after they had completed the task. The prediction was that participants would be more accurate when completing the compound remote associates for which they were later primed compared to those not primed. Unfortunately, the results showed no evidence of a precognitive priming effect. The lack of such an effect, could parsimoniously be interpreted as suggesting that precognition is impossible. However, there remain many positive effects reported in the literature. Hence, a plausible alternative explanation is offered that suggests the context (lab based vs. on-line) of the research may influence the outcome.