A Double-Blind Test of Astrology

1. A Double-Blind Test of Astrology The study of Carlson (1985): In this double-blind study, practicing astrologerswere given time and place of birth of a person plus three profiles of the California Personality Inventory (CPI); one of the profiles belonged to the person to be assessed by the astrologer. The astrologers had to indicate which of the profiles belonged to the person whose time and place was given. Contributor © POSbase 2005

2. A Double-Blind Test of Astrology The astrologers were highly respected in their guild. They reviewed the experimental design carefully and thought that the test was fair. Chance performance was 33%, as astrologers had to choose among three profiles. They predicted that they will be accurate in at least 50% of the cases. © POSbase 2005

3. A Double-Blind Test of Astrology The astrologers‘ accuracy was at 33.7%, which is at chance level, and below a control condition where no birth dates were given. This finding shows that astrology, like graphology, has no scientific basis. Despite the care taken to provide a fair test, astrologers were not able to perform above chance level. For a summary of evidence against astrology, see:http://www.ntskeptics.org/factsheets/astrolog.htm © POSbase 2005