I'll cover it all very briefly. It'll give you some good ideas of things to put into your toolkit. We'll begin with a brief lesson on some of the methods used by these frauds. Then we'll get into the design of a proper testing protocol.
Note: There's some overlap between the psychics and the New Age people. Tarot cards, for instance. What I've decided to do is to put it all in one kit, even though they have separate sections on the website. A lot of the New Age stuff is so odd it would require its own kit, and that's not feasible. This kit, combined with the general purpose Humbug Detection Kit, should give you enough of a start.
Cold Reading
The cold reading is probably the single most popular method used by the psychics. It's popular because of its simplicity and effectiveness. With a little bit of training (even self training will do) and a decent understanding of human nature, you're well on your way to being a psychic superstar.
Simply put, cold reading is a method of fishing for information. You collect information from the audience in an artful manner, and then repeat it as if you were getting it from some psychic source.
It seems like it should be obvious. After all, if you walk up to someone and ask: "What's your favorite color?" and then, after they reply "blue," tell them that the spirits say their favorite color is blue, they'll laugh you all the way to the loony bin. Essentially, this is what they're doing, but the way they fish for information is subtle enough that someone who is prone to believe in such things will be fooled.
There's an interesting aspect of human nature that P. T. Barnum (best known as a showman/debunker and founder of the circus that eventually became the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus) made famous: People want to be fooled.
When you go into a situation expecting something to be true, and wanting it to be true, you'll have a tendency to misremember some aspects of the performance, giving the appearance of higher accuracy than the performer deserves. The so-called mentalists (magicians specializing in psychological trickery) thrive on this. Unfortunately, so do the psychics.
Let's imagine we're at a large psychic event. I'm doing a "reading" for a group of, say, fifty people.
I might say something like: "I'm seeing an older man. I think he has a 'J' sounding name like Jim or James."
Someone might, at this point, volunteer: "That was my grandfather." If they do, then I've got some information I can use. If no one volunteers any information, I might continue with more names beginning with the letter "J," or I might choose to back away from that altogether and go for a different name, or maybe even a disease.
In any case, you see that my odds are pretty good. There are fifty people in the audience, at least many of which already believe. If I keep it vague, list common names, common diseases, etc., then someone is going to volunteer.
Once I get my victim, I need to start fishing for information specific to this person. My job's a little harder. There's only one person now, so I need to be a lot more specific. If I fail completely, I might have an "out" in saying that this spirit must want to connect to someone else in the audience. But that's not very good, so it's a last resort.
When this person volunteers, they may provide some details. For instance, if I'm listing diseases, they might say: "My grandfather Joe died of cancer." That gives me a lot to work with. I can also try to get some information about what types of people these are based on the appearance and speech patterns of the audience member.
So, I've said "cancer." A common disease, sure to get a hit. They've now confirmed the disease and given me a name and a relationship. I now have three very specific pieces of information.
Already at this point, they may be convinced that I provided the information to them. They might tell people: "He knew my grandfather died of cancer." Well, no. It was a question, you see? When I said "I'm seeing someone who died of cancer," what I was really doing is asking the audience if any of them had a loved one die of cancer.
My job gets a little harder, but I have some strong clues to go on. I know this was a grandfather. So based on the age of the victim, I can make some general guesses as to the age of the grandfather. I also know his name, and I know how he died.
What I'm going to do is ramble on for a while, all the time, watching the person's reactions to see how accurate I am. If I fail, I'll try to make a "save" and go in another direction. If I succeed, I'll keep going. They'll also feel like they want to say things and respond to my guesses. I'll get more clues.
From the information I already have, I can say that he was an older man. I'll want to point out that he's not sad and that he was ready to go. I'll tell my victim that they need to go on with their lives, that he's glad he's not suffering anymore and that he's watching out for them.
I can also make a guess that the disease was fairly slow and there was a lot of pain leading up to the death. Cancer sometimes moves quickly, but it's never instantaneous like a heart attack or stroke.
I might also mention money issues. Everyone has problems or concerns about money. Perhaps there's a dispute over the inheritance. Perhaps it's completely unrelated (in which case, I just say that the spirit is advising them about their life).
You get the point. You fish for information, make guesses, and make it seem like it's coming from another source.
Invariably, the psychics get more things wrong than right. But that goes back to the Barnum Effect. People want to be fooled, so they'll remember the hits and forget the misses.
Hot Reading
When a psychic makes claims that are extremely accurate, you might suspect they're doing a hot reading. Basically, this is where they already have information about the victim before the actual "reading" begins.
There are several ways a hot reading could be performed. Frequently, audience members have to provide certain information before they can attend a performance. Supposedly this is just an administrative detail, but any of it could potentially reach the psychic before the show.
There are also often spies in the audience. There are long lines to get in to these shows sometimes. There may be a period of waiting in a lobby before going into a theatre. During these times, spies in the audience will have conversations with other audience members to gather information. It seems perfectly innocent, but that information will then make its way back to the psychic.
If this is a religious performance (as it is with the faith healers), the faithful may fill out prayer cards which are collected, possibly in a collection basket along with donations, before the show. The performer and his team then have a chance to review these prayer cards and find useful information.
Sometimes, friends of the psychic will bring their friends to the performances. These victims don't necessarily know the psychic, but they have a mutual acquaintance. This could be a means for a psychic to gather lots of information.
More bold psychics will simply approach audience members before the show and gather information. They might ask who the person wants to contact.
In any case, they get the information before the show, and then use it in the performance.
Editing & Lawyers
Cold reading is a pretty good technique for gathering information and repeating it as if it came from some supernatural source. However, as I mentioned earlier, these psychics invariably make more misses than hits. So with that in mind, how do they ever make a TV show out of it (this applies only to those famous enough to have TV shows)?
The trick is two-fold. First, they use clever editing techniques to remove their mistakes from the aired version of the show. What you see on TV probably isn't what actually happened. It may look seamless, but I'll bet you most of them aren't.
Then, they realize that the victims might figure it out. It's really not that hard to figure. So they make sure their victims all have to sign non-disclosure agreements. With these documents and their teams of highly paid lawyers, they can silence the victims who may come forward with this information.
Some Specifics
I've given you some basic information on cold reading and hot reading. However, there's a lot more to it than just that. There are some related methods you should be aware of.
For instance, I already slightly covered this, but cold reading can be done with just one person. However, many psychics prefer the "shotgun" method. This is done to take advantage of your better odds with a large audience. You shout out common names, and wait for someone to respond.
Then, there's the "rainbow" method. If you're not sure which way to go, there's an artful way to make a self-contradictory statement sound very accurate. For instance: "I feel that you're a very easygoing person, but when someone betrays you, there's a lot of anger there."
Well, everyone wants to think they're easygoing, but everyone gets angry from time to time. And this way, the psychic can't be wrong.
Slightly related to this is a method of turning a miss into a hit. I once saw a TV program in which Rosemary Altea (a psychic) say that the spirit was very nervous. The victim didn't respond, so she turned it around by saying that it was very uncharacteristic of the person in question.
Note: People like Astrologers just make very general statements that apply to almost anybody. Tarot readers and palm readers use cold (or hot) reading, and then try to apply this newly acquired knowledge to a guided interpretation of the cards. Other Tarot readers simply have another deck of cards and use sleight of hand, so they can make sure they get the right cards.
Other Tricks
Psychics don't just communicate with the dead or read minds. They also claim to have any number of other powers. There is perhaps no more famous example of this than Uri Geller, who was amazingly popular in the 70s and into the 80s. He's less known now, but still shows up from time to time.
Legal disclaimer: I must be quick to point out that, because Mr. Geller is prone to file lawsuits, I won't call him a fraud. I will simply say that the evidence presented is not sufficient to convince me he has any supernatural powers. The fact that he's been caught performing simple magician's tricks cannot, from a legal point of view, be considered proof that he doesn't use genuine supernatural powers in other situations.
Sorry about that, but I can't afford a lawsuit. Sad though it is to have to fill my papers with such legal nonsense, it seems to be a necessity in this day and age.
Moving right along, the other claims of these psychics range. Some claim to be able to manipulate objects. They will make objects move or bend metal, supposedly with their minds alone. Basically, if you see a simple magician's trick, there's a good chance some psychic somewhere is using it, claiming that it's not trickery, but real psychic power.
The methods vary, and by no means will I reveal all of them here. I don't know every method, and of the ones I do know, I feel comfortable revealing only a small number because there are legitimate magicians who make their living by performing these tricks.
Take, for instance Uri Geller's most famous trick: spoon bending. Now, there are many ways to do this. But the effect is that a spoon seems to bend without the performer applying any physical force. In some circumstances, the head of the spoon even falls off.
The methods and effects vary slightly. But one thing is for certain. They can all be accomplished by simple trickery. For instance, look at this spoon bending I've done here in my home.
First, the spoon is shown to be solid and unbent.
Figure 1
Then, the psychic strokes it gently, and it begins to bend.
Figure 2
Finally, he goes too far and the head of the spoon falls right off.
Figure 3
Psychic powers? Hell no!
Refer back to figure 1. The spoon appears to be solid and unbent. What the audience can't see is that I've already spent some time with this spoon before hand. I've bent it almost to the point of breaking. This isn't visible, but what it means is that I don't have to apply much force to make the spoon break in that spot.
Then I stroke the spoon gently. I'm not applying enough force to bend it…if, that is, it were a solid spoon to begin with. In fact, I'm applying just enough force to cause it to break in my hand. When it does break, I'm careful to make sure I have that point on the spoon gripped between my thumb and finger.
See figure 2. The spoon begins to bend. In fact, it isn't bending. The head is already separated from the handle. I'm just holding it in such a way that it LOOKS like it's bending.
And then, in figure 3, I finally allow both pieces to drop. It looks like psychic power, but it's just a simple trick. I feel safe revealing this for two reasons. First, I believe this is the method used by Uri Geller (disclaimer: This would be the method Uri Geller would use if he didn't use genuine psychic powers). Second, modern magicians have new methods they're using for even more impressive spoon bending effects.
Some other effects the psychics have achieved include getting a pencil to roll across a table without touching it or the table. Psychic powers? Nope. They're blowing on it.
The reproduction of drawings is always a hit, and I will not reveal all the methods used. Suffice it to say that when a psychic seems to, by some supernatural means, know what you've drawn, the truth is that he's found a way to peek (disclaimer: Uri Geller might not be cheating).
A popular trick among faith healers is actually something I learned when I was camping out with some buddies at a friend's house (which should demonstrate the caliber of these performances). They'll get a victim on the stage and tell him that the source of his pain is that he has a short leg. The healer will sit him in a chair and lift his legs. Sure enough, one is longer than the other. The healer mumbles some magic words or prayers and as if by magic, the legs are the same length.
The trick is actually pretty simple. When the healer lifts the legs up, he turns them, ever so slightly, to one side. This makes it look like one leg is slightly shorter than the other. To make it more evident, the healer will pull one shoe off, just a little bit, so no one notices. Then, as he says his magic words, he pushes the shoe back on, and pulls the legs back so that they're pointed straight ahead. It's a miracle! They're now the same length.
Note: I know of at least one quack doctor that pulled the same stunt, but it's most common among the faith healers.
Testing
Testing psychics isn't all that difficult. The hard part is getting them to agree to the test, and making sure they don't just make excuses for why they fail.
To design a testing protocol, all you have to do is determine how trickery could be used, and come up with controls that would prevent this (or make it evident). We're going to divide these into two categories. First will be those who claim to read minds or talk to the dead. Then we'll go for the spoon benders and leg adjusters.
So, we know all about cold reading and hot reading and how psychics operate. Now we need to keep them from doing that, so we can test them. Remember, the goal of this test will be to see if they can do what they say they can do, under controlled conditions.
All you have to do is supply your own audience, and give them a few simple instructions. They're not to speak with anyone before or during the performance, just in case. They're not allowed to volunteer any information. They can answer "yes" or "no" to the psychic's questions when asked directly. Unless asked a yes or no question, they're not allowed to nod or shake their heads. And they can't carry any papers such as a family tree that could provide information if they happen to lose track of it.
Your job is to set up cameras and carefully review all the data. We'll get to the information on what constitutes success or failure when we discuss how to conduct a formal test in just a moment.
Since I've been trying to test psychics, I've been unable to afford the expenses of staging a whole production like that. So what I do is ask them three questions, and I'm careful not to reveal the answers or give any hints. The three questions all have to do with the same family member who passed away several years ago, and are pulled from a pool of several such questions.
The information they're given at the beginning is: "One of my family members died ___ years ago." The questions are:
1) What was this family member's full name?
2) What was this family member's spouse's name?
3) How did this family member die?
4) I transcribed a manuscript written by a friend of this family member.
What was that friend's name?
5) What was that manuscript about?
6) What was this family member's religion?
Any genuine psychic should be able to get those. After all, I know the answers (if they're a mind reader) and the family member knew the answers. Strangely enough, they either make guesses (all of which are horribly wrong) or suddenly feel weak and unable to perform.
I won't provide the answers to the questions here, in case a psychic happens across this website. We don't want to help them out, do we?
When I suspect a psychic or healer is conducting a hot reading, I like to test that hypothesis as well. I try to figure out how they're getting their information, and then I feed them false information via that means. If they've genuine psychic powers, that shouldn't chance the outcome. If they're fakes, they'll read all the false information, never the wiser (until I expose what's just happened).
Now, testing the other types of psychic claims is a little more complicated, because you need to do your homework. The first thing to do is to determine the method they're using to accomplish they're trickery (or at least, what they could be doing to accomplish it, if they don't have genuine powers).
If you're unable to figure it out, you may need to contact a professional magician to help you out with that part. A general rule of thumb, though, is simply not to let them handle the props before the test. Make sure there's a camera running during the test. If they succeed and you can't figure it out, you can send the tape to a magician.
Formal tests are a bit different than casual tests. If you're conducting a formal test, you need to make sure there are some experts there (including at least one professional magician) to help construct a protocol and detect trickery.
Here are some other things you should consider with regards to formal tests.
Make sure all parties agree (in writing) to the testing protocol before the test begins. This keeps them from being able to say that the test was unfair afterword.
There are plenty of excuses they offer when they fail. You need to try to prevent that, too. So what you do is stage a preliminary test. In this test, there are no controls in place (so they can use whatever trickery they want) but it doesn't change the final outcome of the "real test." You want to make it seem like no cameras are running, but you want at least one hidden camera rolling the whole time, to see if they're sloppy during this phase.
Generally, they'll succeed in this test, but fail in the one with the controls. You've taken away many excuses, so they might claim that they're now too tired. However, this can be countered by having them sign a statement that they are able to function fully and normally before the test begins.
Remember, the most important thing is: don't test anyone until you know
what you're doing. If you want or need to test someone but don't feel
qualified, contact a magician or your local skeptics community (most localities
have at least one). They'll be able to help you out.