Leonid Vasiliev

Leonid Vasiliev
Occupation Parapsychologist, physiologist

Leonid Leonidovich Vasiliev (1891-1966) was a Russian Soviet parapsychologist and physiologist.[1]

Career

He worked as a professor of physiology at Leningrad University. He helped establish the first parapsychology laboratory at Leningrad.

Vasiliev conducted experiments with subjects into telepathy and reported successful results.[2] However, his experiments were never replicated and have been criticized for weak controls.[3] After Vasiliev's main experiments were completed, his laboratory staff made an official statement declaring "We have not established whether telepathy exists. We want to find out. Then we can say yes or no."[4] His research was discontinued.[5]

The psychologist C. E. M. Hansel has criticized Vasiliev's experiments, stating that he "made little attempt to control the human factor in his experiments... insufficient information is given in Vasiliev's book about the precise conditions under which his experiments were carried out... The chief weakness lies in the lack of precautions against errors in recording and against the experimenter being affected by what he knows about the experiment."[6]

Vasiliev's book Experiments in Mental Suggestion was translated into English in 1963 and was popular with Western parapsychologists.[5]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Rosenthal, Bernice Glatzer. (1997). The Occult in Russian and Soviet Culture. Cornell University. p. 258. ISBN 0-8014-8331-X
  2. ↑ Research on Telepathy in the Soviet Union. (1962). New Scientist. 22 March. p. 672
  3. ↑ Waterfield, Robin. (2003). Hidden Depths: The Story of Hypnosis. Routledge. p. 245. ISBN 0-415-94791-X
  4. ↑ Neher, Andrew. (2011). Paranormal and Transcendental Experience: A Psychological Examination. Dover. p. 149. ISBN 0-486-26167-0
  5. 1 2 Soviet Notebook: Crackdown on Parapsychology. (1975). New Scientist. 13 February. p. 397
  6. ↑ Hansel, C. E. M. (1980). ESP and Parapsychology: A Critical Reevaluation. Prometheus Books. pp. 209-2010
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