Scott, Christopher S(avile) O'D(onoghue)(1927-)

British sociologist who has experimented in the field of parapsychology. He was born on August 12, 1927, at Cuckfield, Sussex, England, and he studied at Cambridge University (B.A., 1948; M.A., 1952). Following his graduation, he became a statistician at UNESCO, Paris (1952-55), and a research officer of The Social Survey at the British Central Office of Information, London (1955-61), prior to returning to work with the United Nations in Africa.

He joined the Society of Psychical Research, London, and was an SPR council member during the years he lived in London (1957-60). He conducted experiments in an attempt to find a repeatable technique for the demonstration of extrasensory perception. He has also done theoretical work on models for psi and examined the work of Gertrude R. Schmeidler on the so-called "sheep-goat" effect on scoring in quantitative psi experiments.

Scott was among the first researchers to call into question the experiments of S. G. Soal based upon his statistical analysis. Based upon Scott's initial critique, much of Soal's work was reexamined and found to have been faulty and his spectacular results probably a matter of conscious fraud. Scott's conclusions were initially attacked, but later independently confirmed.

Sources:

Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House, 1991.

Pleasants, Helene, ed. Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology. New York: Helix Press, 1964.

Scott, Christopher S. O. "Experimental Object-Reading: A Critical Review of the Work of Dr. J. Hettinger." Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research (November 1959).

——. "Fresh Light on the Shackleton Experiments." Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 56 (1974).

——. "G. Spencer Brown and Probability: A Critique." Journal of the Society for Psychical Research (June 1958).

——. "Models for Psi." Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research (October 1961).