July 9th, 1942 - Aug 12, 2004
Obituaries/Memories/Photos
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Bob Morris has held the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh since 1985. He currently heads the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, located within the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. Bob has been interested in anomalies and the problems scientist have in dealing with them since he was in high school. He received a BSc in Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh in 1963 and a PhD in Psychology (minor in Zoology) from Duke University in 1969. During this he also worked summers at the Rhine Research Center, known as the FRNM at that time. He did postdoctoral research on avian social behavior in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development at Duke for two years and then worked with William Roll at the Psychical Research Foundation until 1974.

From 1974-1978 he was a Lecturer in Parapsychology within the Tutorial Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Next stop, from 1978-1980, was as a Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine. Finally, from 1980-1985, he was Senior Research Scientist, School of Computer and Information Science, Syracuse University, before taking up his current post at Edinburgh. He has held several offices in the Parapsychological Association and was President in 1974 and 1985. Bob was PA representative to the American Association for the Advancement of Science for several years and recently was President of the Psychology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Currently he is a Vice-President of the Society for Psychical Research and serves on the Board of the Rhine Research Center as well as the Scientific Board of the Bial Foundation.

Bob enjoys teaching and has designed over twenty different courses in aspects of psychology for the various universities at which he has taught. At Edinburgh he has supervised many young researchers working towards their doctorates (eighteen completions at last look) and organised an MSc by Research, for Psychology postgraduates; at the undergraduate level he has supervised over a hundred Honours Dissertations.He teaches a course in the Psychology of Anomalous Experience and has offered lectures in a variety of other courses.

Bob's academic interests include parapsychology in general, the psychological aspects of the conduct of science, anomalous experiences, deception, belief formation and maintenance, crosscultural aspects of psi experience and research, sport psychology, and volition and human performance. In the past he has also been active in human factors and animal behavior research.

Koestler Chair of Parapsychology (1985 - present) University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland

President of the Parapsychological Association 1974, 1985.

Selected Publications:

Morris R. L. (2000). Parapsychology in the 21st Century. Journal of Parapsychology, 64. pp123-137.

Morris, R. L. (1999). The Responsibilities of Instructors in Parapsychology. In Zingrone, N. (Ed.) Education in Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation, Inc., pp.57-72.

Delanoy, D. L., Morris R. L., Watt, C. (1999). A study of free response ESP performance and mental training techniques. In Journal of American Society for Psychical Research, 93, pp.204-221.

Morris R. L. (1999). Experimental systems in mind-matter research. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 13, pp.561-578.

Morris R. L. (1999/8). A DMILS training study utilising two shielded environments. European Journal of Parapsychology, 14, pp.52-67.

Steinkamp F., Milton J., Morris R. L. (1998). A meta-analysis of forced-choice experiments comparing clairvoyance and precognition. Journal of Parapsychology, 62. pp.193-218.

Dalton K. S., Morris R. L., Delanoy D. L., Radin D.I., Taylor R., Wiseman R. (1998). Security measures in an automated ganzfeld system. Journal of Parapsychology, 60, pp.129-148.

Morris, R. L. (1997). Parapsychology and Transpersonal Experiences. NDE Territori Oltre la Vita. Atti del 1st Congresso Internazionale di Studi delle Esperienze di Confine La Vita e la Morte Psicologia e Parapsicologia degli Stati Intermedi, San Marino, pp. 7-13.

Morris, R. L. (1996). Recent Developments in Experimental Parapsychology. Aquem e Alem do Cerebro. 1st Simposio da Fundacao Bial, Oporto, Portugal, pp. 29-45.

Morris, R. L. (1996). Koestler's Legacy: Parapsychology at the University of Edinburgh. The Skeptic vol 10 nos. 5 & 6, pp. 6-8.

Wiseman, R., Beloff, J and Morris, R.L. (1995). Testing the ESP Claims of SORRAT. Skeptical Inquirer vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 45-46. Watt, C. and Morris, R.L. (1996). Research at the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology. Revista Argentina de Psicologia Paranormal.

Gissurarson, L.R. and Morris, R.L. (1995). A Proposed Research Paradigm for the Study of Volitional Mentation. European Journal of Parapsychology 11, pp. 35-57.

Watt, C. and Morris, R.L. (1995). The Relationships Among Performance on a Prototype Indicator of Perceptual Defence/Vigilance, Personality, and Extrasensory Perception. Personality and Individual Differences 16, pp. 635-648.

Wiseman, R. and Morris, R.L. (1995). Recalling Pseudo-Psychic Demonstrations. British Journal of Psychology 86 pp. 113-126.

Wiseman, R., and Morris, R.L. (1994). Modelling the Stratagems of Psychic Fraud. European Journal of Parapsychology 10 pp. 31-44.

Morris, R.L. (1994). Spontaneous Synchronistic Events as Seen Through a Simple Communication Model. Coly, L., and Shapin, B. (Ed.) Spontaneous Psi, Depth Psychology and Parapsychology pp. 137-162 Parapsychology Foundation, Inc., New York.

Morris, R.L. (1993). Psi Research and the Concept of Volition. Coly, L. and Shapin, B. (Eds.) Psi Research Methodology: A Re-examination pp. 255-273 Parapsychology Foundation, Inc., New York ISBN No. 0-912328- 43-6.

Morris, R.L. (1992). Parapsychology in the 1990's: Addressing the Challenge. European Journal of Parapsychology 8 pp. 1-26.

Wiseman, R., Beloff, J. and Morris, R.L. (1992). Testing the ESP Claims of SORRAT. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 58 pp. 363-377.

Morgan, K., and Morris, R.L. (1991). A Review of Apparently Successful Methods for the Enhancement of Anomalous Phenomena. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research 58 No. 824 pp. 1-9.

Gissurarson, L. R. and Morris, R.L. (1991). Examination of Six Questionnaires as Predictors of Psychokinesis Performance. Journal of Parapsychology 55 pp. 119-145.

Gissurarson, L. R. and Morris, R. L. (1990). Volition and Psychokinesis. Journal of Parapsychology 54 pp. 331-370.

Morris, R.L. (1990). The Challenge of Parapsychology. Scott, A.(Ed.) Frontiers of Science, Basil Blackwell, Oxford.

Morris, R.L. (1988). Parapsychology, Paradox and Exploration of the Impossible. Speculations in Science and Technology 10 pp. 303, 309.

Morris, R.L. (1987). Parapsychology and the Demarcation Problem. Inquiry 30 pp. 241-251.

Morris, R.L. (1987). Minimising Subject Fraud in Parapsychology Laboratories. European Journal of Parapsychology 6 pp. 137-149.

Schmidt, H., Morris, R.L.. and Rudolph, L.R. (1986). Channelling Evidence for a PK Effect to Independent Observers. Journal of Parapsychology 50 pp. 1-17.

Morris, R.L.. (1986). Psi and Human Factors: The Role of Psi in Human-Equipment Interactions. Coly, L. and Shapin, B. (Ed.) Current Trends in Psi Research, Parapsychology Foundation, New York.

Morris, R. L. (1986). What psi is not: The necessity for experiments. In Edge et al., Foundations of Parapsychology, London, Kegan Paul, pp. 78-110.

Morris, R.L., (1982). Assessing Experimental Support for True Precognition. Journal of Parapsychology 46 pp. 321-336.

Debes, J., and Morris, R.L. (1982). Comparison of Striving and Non-striving Instructional Sets in a PK Study. Journal of Parapsychology 46 pp. 297-312.

Morris, R.L. (1982). Mainstream Science, Experts, and Anomaly. George O. Abell and Barry Singer (Ed.) A Review of Science and the Paranormal: Probing the Existence of the Supernatural. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 76 pp. 257-281.

Morris, R.L., Nanko, M., and Phillips, D. (1982). A Comparison of Two Popularly Advocated Visual Imagery Strategies in a Psychokinesis Task. Journal of Parapsychology 46, pp. 1-16.

Morris, R.L. (1982). An Updated Survey of Methods and Issues in ESP Research. Krippner, S. (Ed.) Advances in Parapsychological Research 3, Plenum Press, New York.

Morris, R.L. (1981). Developing "Extreme case" Causal Models for Synchronistic Phenomena. Shapin, B., and Coly, L. (Ed.) Concepts and Theories of Parapsychology, Parapsychology Foundation, New York.

Morris, R. L. (1980). Psi Functioning within a Simple Communication System. In Shapin, B., and Coly, L. (Eds.), Communication in Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation.

Morris, R. L. et al. (1978). Studies of Communication During Out Of Body Experiences. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 72 pp. 1-24.

Morris, R.L. (1978). A Survey of Methods and Issues in ESP Research. In Krippner, S. (Ed.), Advances in Parapsycholological Research 2: Extrasensory Perception. New York: Plenum Press.

Morris, R.L.. (1977). Parapsychology: A Biological Perspective. In Wolman, B. (Ed.) Handbook of Parapsychology. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.

Morris, R.L. (1976). The Responsibilities of Instructors in Parapsychology. In Shapin, B., and Coly, L. (Eds.), Education in Parapsychology. New York: Parapsychology Foundation.

Morris, R.L.. (1976). Biology and Psi. In Schmeidler, G., and Dale, L., (Eds.), Parapsychology: Today’s Implications, Tomorrow’s Applications. Metuchen, N.J.; Scarecrow Press.

Morris, R.L. (1974). The Psychobiology of Psi. In White, J. (Ed.), Psychic Exploration, by Edgar Mitchell. New York: Putnam.

Roll, W.G., Morris, R.L., DamGaard, J., Klein, J., and Roll, M. (1973). Free Verbal Response Experiments with Lalsingh Harribance. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 67 pp. 197-207.

Morris, R.L., Roll, W.G., Klein, J., and Wheeler, G. (1972). EEG Patterns and ESP Results in Forced-Choice Experiments with Lalsingh Haribance. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 66 pp. 253-268.

Morris, R.L. (1972). An Exact Method for Evaluating Preferentially Matched Free Response Material. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. 66 pp. 401-407.

Morris, R.L. (1970). Psi and Animal Behaviour: A Survey. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research 64 pp. 242-260.

Books
Hoyt L. Edge, Robert L. Morris, Joseph H. Rush, John Palmer. Foundations of Parapsychology. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London and New York, 1986.

Wiseman, R. and Morris, R.L. (1995). Guidelines for Testing Psychic Claimants.University of Hertfordshire Press, Hatfield.