Parapsychology is the study of purported paranormal phenomena, including extrasensory perception and psychokinesis. It investigates claims that information or influence can occur without the known sensory and motor channels.

Researchers have used controlled laboratory methods—card guessing, remote viewing, random-number generation—to test telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and mind-over-matter effects. Meta-analyses of the most rigorous studies have sometimes reported small positive effects, yet independent replication under tight conditions has been inconsistent. Critics argue that remaining positive findings are attributable to methodological flaws, selective reporting, or chance.

Mainstream scientific consensus does not accept the existence of paranormal abilities. The absence of a plausible mechanism consistent with established physics, combined with the failure of effects to stabilize under scrutiny, underlies that judgment. Parapsychology continues as a small research community and as a topic of public fascination, yet it has not produced reproducible evidence that has altered the broader scientific view.

Extraordinary claims remain extraordinary until the evidence becomes correspondingly strong.