The Chick’s Intention: The Experiments of René Peoc’h

[Lois]

The Chick’s Intention: The Experiments of René Peoc’h

In 1986 and 1995, French researcher René Peoc’h conducted a series of intriguing experiments, which he detailed in his paper, "Psychokinetic Action of Young Chicks."

The Setup

The experiment utilized a robot that moved randomly across a tabletop (similar to a modern robot vacuum). The robot's movements were governed by a Random Number Generator (RNG). When the robot was alone on the table, its path was truly random, covering the entire surface area evenly over time.

Experiment 1: The "Mother" Robot

In the first experiment, Peoc’h took newborn chicks and placed them near the moving robot for one hour. The idea was to trigger imprinting—a biological phenomenon where birds perceive the first moving object they see as their parent.

• The Procedure: Peoc’h then placed the imprinted chicks in a transparent cage at the edge of the table.

• The Result: Although the chicks were trapped, they clearly "wanted" to be near their "robot-mother." According to the study, their "power of intention" appeared to influence the robot. Instead of wandering the whole table, the robot began to spend a disproportionate amount of time in the area closest to the cage.

• Significance: Peoc’h claimed that dozens of trials with different chicks yielded statistically significant results.

Experiment 2: The Search for Light

In the second experiment, Peoc’h used chicks aged 1 to 7 days. This time, the robot was not imprinted as a parent. Instead, a lit candle was placed on the robot, serving as the only light source in a darkened room.

• The Result: The chicks (who presumably did not want to be left in the dark) seemingly "pulled" the robot toward their cage.

• The Control: This effect was not observed in a well-lit room, nor was it observed with a robot that had no candle in a dark room.

Important Observations

• No Mechanical Bias: The theory that the table was tilted was ruled out, as a tilt would have caused the robot to migrate to the same side in every case, including the control trials.

• Humans vs. Chicks: Interestingly, attempts to replicate this using human operators failed. Humans were unable to "will" the robot to deviate from its path.

• The Theory: Researchers suggested that while humans viewed the task as a routine or boring exercise, the chicks were driven by a primal, biological "struggle for life," which perhaps exerted a stronger influence on the RNG.