Gertrude Raffel Schmeidler papers, 1943-1983

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Summary

Creator:
Schmeidler, Gertrude Raffel
Abstract:
Gertrude Raffel Schmeidler (1912-2009) was an American parapsychologist and experimental psychologist best known for developing the "sheep-goat" theory related to individuals' beliefs in ESP abilities. Collection consists largely of research files that document Schmeidler's research and contributions to parapsychology, with correspondence, writings, and other materials supplementing the research files.
Extent:
30.8 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.01147

Background

Scope and content:

The Gertrude R. Schmeidler papers span the period 1943-1983 and document her career as a parapsychologist and experimental psychologist. The bulk of the collection consists chiefly of Research Files, which are supplemented by Correspondence, Writings, and Miscellaneous Materials. There are very few personal papers in this collection.

Research Files document the work for which Schmeidler is most notable: the development of the "sheep-goat" theory. She determined through several cycles of ESP card-guessing experiments that "sheep" (persons who believed that success was possible in ESP tasks) scored higher than "goats" (those who rejected the possibility of success). Later documentation in the sheep/goat research includes data and correspondence by Murray Melnick and Christopher Scott pertaining to their study of earlier tabulations of Schmeidler's sheep/goat research. Data for both successful and unsuccessful experiments are in the Research Files. Other topics represented in the Research Files include data about how various attitudes, conditions, traits, and surroundings affect ESP abilities. Among them are frustration, utilizing Saul Rosenzweig's Picture Frustration Study; Rorschachs and ESP scores of patients suffering from cerebral concussions; background stimuli; Rorschachs and ESP scores in maternity patients; ESP and memory; ESP scores following psychotherapy; and mood and attitude as predictors of ESP performance; telepathic rapport based on personality traits; and others such as long distance experiments in telepathy, precognition, poltergeists, and clairvoyant medical diagnosis based on the Silva Mind Control method.

Included in the Correspondence series are: Gardner Murphy, Schmeidler's mentor and the person who first interested her in psychical research; Ingo Swann, who studied PK (psychokinesis) effects on temperature; Caroline Chapman, a psychic with whom Schmeidler conducted proxy settings and published an article about; Eileen Garrett, a psychic who was president of the Parapsychology Foundation Inc., and with whom Schmeidler conducted proxy settings; Steve Heyman, who studied the effect of time and impatience on ESP abilities; Betty Humphrey, who worked in the Duke Parapsychology Laboratory in the late 1940s and early 1950s and used drawings as her ESP targets; Larry Lewis, who attempted to find out if ESP hones into a target like sonar; and Thelma Moss, who studied a house haunting. Schmeidler collaborated with Swann, Heyman, Lewis, and Moss on the research topics listed above and co-authored journal articles which were published because of their research. There is scattered correspondence between Schmeidler and J. B. and Louisa Rhine, but not a substantial amount. There are several letters between J. G. Pratt, who was working at the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory, and Schmeidler pertaining to the Chapman proxy settings in the mid-1950s. There are numerous letters between Schmeidler and Humphrey, some describing the working environment at the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory; others relate to Humphrey's research.

The Writings series primarily consists of information pertaining to the work she co-authored with Robert A. McConnell, ESP and Personality Patterns .

The Miscellaneous series contains other materials related to Schmeidler's career, particularly syllabi and sample exam questions for courses she taught.

Folders throughout the collection contain Schmeidler's typed notes which describe the data, list the name of the researcher with whom she collaborated, and in some cases the article or articles which resulted from the research. Others indicate the nature and subject of the correspondence and include information pertaining to her various writings.

Biographical / historical:

Gertrude Raffel Schmeidler (1912-2009) was an American parapsychologist and experimental psychologist. She is best known for developing the "sheep-goat" theory related to individuals' beliefs in ESP abilities.

Date Event
1912 July 15
Born in Long Branch, New Jersey
1932
B.A. magna cum laude Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
1932-1933
Statistical assistant at Foundation for Neuro-Endocrine Research
1933
M.A. Clark University, Worcester, Mass.
1935
Ph.D. Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1935-1937
Instructor at Monmouth College, Long Branch, New Jersey
1937
Married Robert Schmeidler
1942-1944
Research Associate at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
1945-1985
Taught in the Department of Psychology, City College of the City University of New York
1945-1946
Research Officer at the American Society for Psychical Research, New York
1945
Published article, "Separating the Sheep from the Goats," in the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research
1949-1955
Consultant at Barnard College, New York
1958
Co-author of the work ESP and Personality Patterns, with Dr.Robert A. McConnell
1959
President, Parapsychological Association
1964
Earned the William McDougall Award for Distinguished Work in Parapsychology, established by the Parapsychology Laboratory at Duke University
1969
Edited Extrasensory Perception
1971
President, Parapsychological Association
1976
Edited Parapsychology: Its Relation to Physics, Biology, Psychology and Psychiatry
1977
Associate Editor of Wolman's Handbook of Parapsychology
1981-1985
President, American Society for Psychical Research
1988
Published book Parapsychology and Psychology: Matches and Mismatches
2009
Died
Acquisition information:
The Gertrude Schmeidler Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library from Dr. Schmeidler in 1987 and as a gift from Mark Bowron in 2024.
Processing information:

Processed by Janie C. Morris, Lynne Derhammer, and Carlos Alvarado, March 1991.

Encoded by Alvin Pollock and Stephen Miller.

Accession 2024-0096 added by Leah Tams, August 2024.

Accessions described in this collection guide: unknown number from 1987, 2024-0096.

Arrangement:

Arranged into four series: Research Files; Correspondence; Writings; Miscellaneous Materials.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Gertrude Raffel Schmeidler Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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