Phase 1: Preliminary Demonstration
The Claim:
The Applicant claims to be able to detect which Subject in a group of six Subjects is missing a kidney, to further identify which kidney (left or right) is missing in her selected Subject, and to be able to do this with 100% accuracy in three consecutive trials.
The Protocol
I. Setup and Preparation:
The Applicant will be in a room with one portion of the room screened off.
Six Subjects will be seated with their backs to the Applicant on the other side of the screen.
Each Subject will be seated on a stool or open-backed chair that will allow the Applicant to see his or her back once the screen is removed.
A line will be taped to the floor five feet behind the subjects. The Applicant must view the Subjects from behind that line. The Applicant may lean over the line, but both feet must remain behind the line. The Applicant may move along the line as long as she remains on the opposite side of the line from the Subjects.
Each Subject may wear a hood or wide-brimmed hat designed to prevent any possible eye contact between the Subject and the Applicant and to prevent the Applicant from seeing the faces of the Subjects.
Each Subject will wear a unique identification number. This number will appear on the heel or ankle or upper back of the Subject and also on the Subject’s chest for viewing at the completion of the trial.
Five of the Subjects will have two kidneys. One Subject (the Target) in the group of six will have only one kidney.
No communication of any kind is allowed before or during the test between the Applicant and any Subject(s). This would include any general vocalizing by the Applicant that might cause a Subject to react.
Each Subject will wear a light-weight cotton shirt or blouse with no pattern.
The Applicant may not “pass” on a trial or any of the test segments. A pass (for any reason) will be considered a "miss". Applicant is reminded that to be considered a success the test requires 100% accuracy (i.e. correct Target and correct kidney status of Target) in all three trials. To pass on any single trial would be conceding failure on the entire test.
The Applicant may bring paper, pens and pencils of her own to record her impressions. These papers will be for her use only and will not be considered in any way to be official identification forms in this test. However, if these papers are left behind or Applicant chooses to leave them, they become the property of the IIG and may be reproduced publicly with the Identification Forms and other documentary evidence.
Applicant may not have any electronic device, computer or cell phone on her person or accessible from the time she reaches the test location until the verification process is complete.
The Applicant may not have a guest in the viewing room at any time. If she is accompanied by anyone, that person will need to be sequestered elsewhere and allowed to watch the test on closed circuit video.
Members of the IIG will be in the room with the Applicant in order to observe the process and to facilitate videotaping, digital photography, to collect and record the Applicant's official paperwork, to provide the Applicant with an escort as needed, and to help transition test Subjects into and out of the viewing area.
Every aspect of the in-person contact between the Applicant and the IIG may be video and audio recorded by the IIG and the Applicant. Such recordings (or written descriptions of them) may be published by the IIG and/or the Applicant.
The IIG reserves the right to make adjustments in the Protocol after each trial in response to any logistic or procedural problem that may be causing sensory leakage or other breach of basic scientific protocol. Should this occur the Applicant will be credited back any loss of time to her break or trial time limit.
If there is any conscious attempt by the Applicant to cheat or thwart, circumvent or deliberately confuse any aspect of the protocol or final verification process the entire test will be suspended and possibly cancelled altogether.
The Applicant will have a 10 minute break between each trial during which time she is free to consume food or drink that she has brought with her. She may also use the restroom if she is accompanied to and from the restroom by an IIG proctor to ensure there is no accidental contact with any of the Subjects. If deemed necessary the Applicant may be asked to wear some form of sensory blinding (for example, a blindfold) any time she is escorted to and from the test area. Otherwise the Applicant is not allowed to leave the test area until the entire test and the sonogram verification of the test results is complete.
II. The Procedure for each Trial (repeated three times):
The Protocol will consist of three trials. Each trial will be conducted using the same process, which is as follows:
The IIG will ask the Applicant whether she is comfortable and if she feels her abilities are working adequately.
The screen will be removed, allowing the Applicant to view Subjects seated with their backs to her.
The Applicant will have 27 minutes to study the Subjects and come to a conclusion about the status of kidneys in all six. When the Applicant indicates she is ready, or the 27 minute time limit has been reached, she will be provided with an Identification Form.
The Identification Form will have the outline of 6 human bodies with kidney shapes on each side of the lower torso. Directly below each outline the ID number of the corresponding Subject will be written by Applicant. She will use the form to indicate the status of all 6 Subjects seated with their backs to her by circling 11 kidneys and putting an X through one (and only one) kidney. The outline with an X corresponds to the Subject the Applicant has chosen as the Target, and either the right or left kidney that is missing.
All markings by Applicant or the IIG MUST be in ink, not pencil. If a mistake is made, the Form will be torn up and a new Identification Form provided.
Once the Identification Form has been filled out the Applicant will be asked if she is ready to have a photograph taken of the Target selection. If she responds in the affirmative this means she has made her final choice and it cannot be changed. The Applicant will then sign and date the Identification Form and hand it to an IIG member to verify that it is complete.
At this point the Subjects will be asked to rise, remove their head covering and face the Applicant. Applicant will confirm that the ID numbers she wrote beneath each body outline on the Identification Form match the ID numbers visible on the chest of each Subject. A photographer provided by the IIG will take two photos with a digital camera. The first photo will be of the Target selection and the second photo will show all the Subjects (including the Target selection) in their original order with their ID numbers facing camera. If possible, Applicant will be included in this photo. A copy of both photos (Target only and entire Trial Group) will be immediately printed out. The Applicant will initial each photo in ink and the photos will be stapled to the completed Identification Form.
The completed Identification Form with Photos for that trial will be placed in a box or folder in full view at all times of the IIG and Applicant until all three trials are completed.
Once all the Subjects have been photographed and escorted out of the viewing area the screen will be returned to its original position in preparation for the next trial.
When Applicant indicates her readiness to see the next group (or the 10 minute break runs out) the IIG will begin the process of getting test subjects into position for the next trial. During this transition period the IIG may require the Applicant to turn away and/or sit in a particular chair or area.
When the next group of 6 subjects are positioned behind the screen, the screen will be removed and the process set forth above will be repeated twice more for a total of three trials.
III. Analysis and Verification of Results
A professional sonographer who has up until this time been "blinded" from any knowledge of the selection procedure or Subjects will be introduced to the process. Applicant and IIG will have stipulated in advance that the Sonographer is qualified to make a definitive diagnosis in regard to the presence or absence of kidneys in any Subject.
The Subject selected by the Applicant in Trial #1 will be brought back to the viewing area. The actual Target, if different, will also be brought back. Applicant and IIG will attest that these are the same people on the corresponding Identification Form and photos. Subjects will be examined by the Sonographer using a sonogram machine to determine whether the left and/or right kidney are present. This will be repeated for the Subject/Target in trials #2 and #3 as well.
For each exam the Sonographer will sign and date an affidavit as to the status of the Subject's kidneys which will include the Subjects real name, ID # and any other pertinent verification information. Both the Applicant and the IIG will initial this affidavit indicating their agreement with its contents and conclusions.
For this Preliminary Demonstration to be considered successful, the Applicant must correctly identify which Subject from each trial group of six was in fact missing a kidney and correctly identify which kidney (left or right) was missing.
