Terence Hines

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Terence Hines
Born
Terence Michael Hines

22 March 1951 (1951-03-22) (age 73)
Hanover, New Hampshire, United States
Occupation Professor of psychology

Terence Michael Hines (born 22 March 1951) is an American academic and researcher. He is a professor of psychology at Pace University, New York, [1] and adjunct professor of neurology at the New York Medical College; [2] he is also a science writer. Hines has a BA from Duke University, and an MA and PhD from the University of Oregon. [3]

Contents

A fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Hines is the author of Pseudoscience and the Paranormal which focuses on the fields of pseudoscience and the paranormal in the United States. He has also, controversially, authored papers expressing doubts about the existence of the G-spot.

Pseudoscience and the Paranormal

Hines is the author of the book Pseudoscience and the Paranormal, which mostly focuses on pseudoscience and the paranormal in the United States. [4] He distinguishes pseudoscience from science by describing it as a hypothesis inconsistent with the known laws of physics, but one which cannot be falsified. [4] In his book, Hines argues that pseudoscience tends not to be updated in the face of newly obtained evidence, and he highlights the difficulty in clearly demarcating pseudoscience from the paranormal. [5] :242 He also postulates that if paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance or precognition were possible, then surely one would expect casino and lottery incomes to be affected, although no such effect is observed. [6] :635

Hines is a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, [7] an organization that promotes skeptical inquiry of paranormal claims.

G-spot

In a 2001 comprehensive review article, Hines claimed that the evidence for the existence of the Gräfenberg spot ("G-spot"), a spot that 84% of women believe exists, [8] was too weak, and that claims of its existence were based on small sample sizes and not supported by biochemistry or anatomy (particularly the lack of extra nerve endings in the region). [9] [10] Most of the studies at that time had also been conducted by a single team. Hines asserted that if such a spot exists, it is not particular to the Skene's glands. [11] He described the G-spot as a "sort of gynecologic UFO: much sought for, much discussed, but unverified by objective means". The initial review resulted in a large controversy with three publications quickly defending its existence. [9]

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clairvoyance</span> Claimed form of extrasensory perception

Clairvoyance is the claimed ability to acquire information that would be considered impossible to get through scientifically proven sensations, thus classified as extrasensory perception, or "sixth sense". Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant.

Extrasensory perception (ESP), also known as a sixth sense, or cryptaesthesia, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke University botanist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as intuition, telepathy, psychometry, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, empathy and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parapsychology</span> Study of paranormal and psychic phenomena

Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near-death experiences, synchronicity, apparitional experiences, etc. Criticized as being a pseudoscience, the majority of mainstream scientists reject it. Parapsychology has also been criticized by mainstream critics for claims by many of its practitioners that their studies are plausible despite a lack of convincing evidence after more than a century of research for the existence of any psychic phenomena.

Precognition is the purported psychic phenomenon of seeing, or otherwise becoming directly aware of, events in the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G-spot</span> Hypothesized anatomical detail

The G-spot, also called the Gräfenberg spot, is characterized as an erogenous area of the vagina that, when stimulated, may lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and potential female ejaculation. It is typically reported to be located 5–8 cm (2–3 in) up the front (anterior) vaginal wall between the vaginal opening and the urethra and is a sensitive area that may be part of the female prostate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ganzfeld experiment</span> Pseudoscientific test for extrasensory perception (ESP)

A ganzfeld experiment is an assessment used by parapsychologists that they contend can test for extrasensory perception (ESP) or telepathy. In these experiments, a "sender" attempts to mentally transmit an image to a "receiver" who is in a state of sensory deprivation. The receiver is normally asked to choose between a limited number of options for what the transmission was supposed to be and parapsychologists who propose that such telepathy is possible argue that rates of success above the expectation from randomness are evidence for ESP. Consistent, independent replication of ganzfeld experiments has not been achieved, and, in spite of strenuous arguments by parapsychologists to the contrary, there is no validated evidence accepted by the wider scientific community for the existence of any parapsychological phenomena. Ongoing parapsychology research using ganzfeld experiments has been criticized by independent reviewers as having the hallmarks of pseudoscience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee for Skeptical Inquiry</span> Organization examining paranormal claims

The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the U.S. non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "promote scientific inquiry, critical investigation, and the use of reason in examining controversial and extraordinary claims." Paul Kurtz proposed the establishment of CSICOP in 1976 as an independent non-profit organization, to counter what he regarded as an uncritical acceptance of, and support for, paranormal claims by both the media and society in general. Its philosophical position is one of scientific skepticism. CSI's fellows have included notable scientists, Nobel laureates, philosophers, psychologists, educators, and authors. It is headquartered in Amherst, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remote viewing</span> Pseudoscientific concept

Remote viewing (RV) is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen subject, purportedly sensing with the mind. A remote viewer is expected to give information about an object, event, person, or location hidden from physical view and separated at some distance. Physicists Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff, parapsychology researchers at Stanford Research Institute (SRI), are generally credited with coining the term "remote viewing" to distinguish it from the closely related concept of clairvoyance. According to Targ, the term was first suggested by Ingo Swann in December 1971 during an experiment at the American Society for Psychical Research in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Female ejaculation</span> Expulsion of fluid during orgasm

Female ejaculation is characterized as an expulsion of fluid from the Skene's gland at the lower end of the urethra during or before an orgasm. It is also known colloquially as squirting or gushing, although research indicates that female ejaculation and squirting are different phenomena, squirting being attributed to a sudden expulsion of liquid that partly comes from the bladder and contains urine.

Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Notable paranormal beliefs include those that pertain to extrasensory perception, spiritualism and the pseudosciences of ghost hunting, cryptozoology, and ufology.

Charles Henry Honorton was an American parapsychologist and was one of the leaders of a collegial group of researchers who were determined to apply established scientific research methods to the examination of what they called "anomalous information transfer" and other phenomena associated with the "mind/body problem"—the idea that mind might, at least in some respects, have a physical existence independent of the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aura (paranormal)</span> Parapsychological and spiritual concept

According to spiritual beliefs, an aura or energy field is a colored emanation said to enclose a human body or any animal or object. In some esoteric positions, the aura is described as a subtle body. Psychics and holistic medicine practitioners often claim to have the ability to see the size, color and type of vibration of an aura.

Harold Edward Puthoff is an American electrical engineer and parapsychologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Targ</span> American physicist, parapsychologist, and author

Russell Targ is an American physicist, parapsychologist, and author who is best known for his work on remote viewing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kendrick Frazier</span> American science writer (1942–2022)

Kendrick Crosby Frazier was an American science writer and longtime editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. He was also a former editor of Science News, author or editor of ten books, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). He was a fellow and a member of the executive council of Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), an international organization which promotes scientific inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apport (paranormal)</span> Paranormal transference

In parapsychology and Spiritualism, an apport is the alleged paranormal transference of an article from one place to another, or an appearance of an article from an unknown source that is often associated with poltergeist activity or séances. Apports reported during séances have been found to be the result of deliberate fraud. No medium or psychic has demonstrated the manifestation of an apport under scientifically controlled conditions.

Sensory leakage is a term used to refer to information that transferred to a person by conventional means during an experiment into extrasensorial perception (ESP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Beyerstein</span> Canadian psychologist and scientific skeptic (1947–2007)

Barry L Beyerstein was a scientific skeptic and professor of psychology at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. Beyerstein's research explored brain mechanisms of perception and consciousness, the effects of drugs on the brain and mind, sense of smell and its lesser-known contributions to human cognition and emotion. He was founder and chair of the BC Skeptics Society, a Fellow and member of the Executive Council of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Associate editor of the Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine Journal as well as a contributor to Skeptical Inquirer, Beyerstein was one of the original faculty of CSICOP's Skeptic's Toolbox. Beyerstein was a co-founder of the Canadians for Rational Health Policy and a member of the advisory board of the Drug Policy Foundation of Washington D.C. He was a founding board member of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy and contributed to the International Journal of Drug Policy. According to long-time friend James Alcock, Beyerstein once addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health during discussions leading up to the passage of the Controlled Substances Act". Along with his brother Dale, Barry was active in the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert A. Baker</span> American psychologist and scientific skeptic (1921–2005)

Robert Allen Baker Jr. was an American psychologist, professor of psychology emeritus of the University of Kentucky, skeptic, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranormal phenomena. He is the editor of Psychology in the Wry, a collection of satire, and was formerly the co-editor of Approaches, a quarterly journal of contemporary poetry. His satirical and humorous verses have appeared in Vogue, Saturday Review, The Journal of Irreproducible Results, Worm-Runners' Digest, and other journals. He wrote 15 books and is a past fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telekinesis</span> Influencing of objects without physical interaction

Telekinesis is a purported psychic ability allowing an individual to influence a physical system without physical interaction. Experiments to prove the existence of telekinesis have historically been criticized for lack of proper controls and repeatability. There is no reliable evidence that telekinesis is a real phenomenon, and the topic is generally regarded as pseudoscience.

References

  1. "Dyson College of Arts and Sciences: Our Faculty – Terence Hines". pace.edu. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  2. "New York Medical College, Neurology Faculty". nymc.edu. Retrieved 22 July 2020. (see part-time faculty list)
  3. "Dyson Faculty Profile: Terence Hines, Ph.D." Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
  4. 1 2 White, Michael (22 September 1988). "A Shadow of Science". New Scientist . Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  5. Fowler, Jeaneane (1999). Humanism: Beliefs and Practices. Brighton, England: Sussex Academic Press. ISBN   978-1-898723-70-7.
  6. Hurley, Patrick J. (2010). A Concise Introduction to Logic (11th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth. ISBN   978-0-8400-3416-8.
  7. "CSI Fellows and Staff". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  8. Dwyer, Peter L. (February 2012). "Skene's gland revisited: function, dysfunction and the G spot". International Urogynecology Journal. 23 (2): 135–137. doi:10.1007/s00192-011-1558-1. PMID   21901439. S2CID   7114781.
  9. 1 2 Levin, Roy J. (1 February 2003). "The G-spot—reality or illusion?". Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 18 (1): 117–119. doi:10.1080/1468199031000064487. S2CID   144894852.
  10. Kilchevsky, Amichai; Vardi, Yoram; Lowenstein, Lior; Gruenwald, Ilan (1 March 2012). "Is the Female G-Spot Truly a Distinct Anatomic Entity?". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 9 (3): 719–726. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02623.x. PMID   22240236.
    • Shafik, A.; Shafik, A. A.; El Sibai, O.; Shafik, I. A. (1 January 2007). "Identification of a vaginal pacemaker: An immunohistochemical and morphometric study". Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 27 (5): 485–488. doi:10.1080/01443610701405689. PMID   17701796. S2CID   26019593.
    • The original article is Hines, T (1 August 2001). "The G-spot: A modern gynecologic myth". American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 185 (2): 359–362. doi:10.1067/mob.2001.115995. PMID   11518892.
  11. Colson, M.-H. (Spring 2010). "Female orgasm: Myths, facts and controversies". Sexologies. 19 (1): 8–14. doi:10.1016/j.sexol.2009.11.004.