SPECIAL REPORT: HOW TO FAKE AN 'ALIEN' • MARTIN GARDNER ON POST-FREUDIAN DREAM THEORY Skeptical Inquirer THE MAGAZINE FOR SCIENCE AND REASON Volume 20, No. 1 • January/February 996 • U.S. $4.95 • Canada $5.95 Star Cradle EMDR Treatment: Les? Than Meets the Eye? Science and Reason in Film and Television Testing Psychic Crime Detectives Health Statistics Bad for Our Health? i * / Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet Published Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo Barry Karr, Executive Director and Public Relations Director Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director FELLOWS James E. Alcock,* psychologist, York Martin Gardner,* author, critic H. Narasimhaiah. physicist, president, Univ., Toronto Murray Gall-Mann, professor of physics, Bangalore Science Forum, India Jerry Andrus. magician and inventor, Santa Fe Institute Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist. New York Univ. Albany, Oregon Thomas Gilovich, psychologist, Cornell Joe Nicked. • senior research fellow. CSICOP Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of Univ. Lea Nisbet* philosopher, Medaille College Kentucky Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, James E. Oberg, science writer Stephen Barrett M.D., psychiatrist, Toronto author, consumer advocate, Allentown, Loren Pankratz, psychologist, Oregon Stephen Jay Gould, Museum of Health Sciences Univ. Pa. Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univ. John Paulos, mathematician, Temple Univ. Barry Beyerstein,* biopsychologist, C. E. M. Hansel, psychologist, Univ. of Simon Fraser Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Wales Mark Plummer, lawyer, Australia Canada Al Hibbs, scientist, Jet Propulsion W. V. Quine. philosopher. Harvard Univ. Irving Biederman. psychologist, Univ. of Laboratory Milton Rosenberg, psychologist, Univ. of Southern California Douglas Hofstadter. professor of human Chicago Susan Blackmore,* psychologist, Univ. of understanding and cognitive science, Carl Sagan, astronomer, Cornell Univ. the West of England, Bristol Indiana Univ. Wallace Sampson. M.D., clinical profes­ Hariri Broch. physicist, Univ. of Nice, Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of sor of medicine, Stanford Univ. France Physics and Professor of History of Evry Schatzman, President, French Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, profes­ Science, Harvard Univ. Physics Association sor of English, Univ. of Utah Ray Hyman,* psychologist, Univ. of Vern Bullough, professor of history, Oregon Eugenie Scott physical anthropologist, executive director, National Center for California State Univ. at Northridge Leon Jaroff, sciences editor emeritus. Science Education Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill Time Glenn T. Seaborg. University Professor of University Sergei Kapitza. editor, Russian edition, Chemistry, Univ. of California, Berkeley John R. Cola, anthropologist, Dept. of Scientific American Thomas A. Sebeok, anthropologist, lin­ Anthropology, Univ. of Mass. at Amherst Philip J. Klass,* aerospace writer, engi­ guist, Indiana Univ. F. H. C Crick, biophysicist. Salk Inst, for neer Robert Sheaffer, science writer Marvin Kohl, professor of philosophy, Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif. Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, SUNY at Fredonia Richard Dawkins, zoologist, Oxford Univ. Terrey Hills, N.S.W., Australia L. Sprague da Camp, author, engineer Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith Observatory Robert Steiner, magician, author, El Cerrito, Cornells da Jager, professor of astro­ Calif. physics, Univ. of Utrecht, the Paul Kurtz.* chairman, CSICOP Jill Cornell Tarter, SETI Institute Netherlands Lawrence Kusche. science writer Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Barnard Dixon, science writer, London, Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psycholo­ Angeles, Calif. U.K. gy, Univ. of Washington Stephen Toulmin, professor of philoso­ Paul Edwards, philosopher. Editor, Paul MacCready. scientist/engineer, phy, University of Southern California Encyclopedia of Philosophy AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, Calif. Steven Weinberg, professor of physics Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., David Marks, psychologist, Middlesex and astronomy, University of Texas at U.K. Polytech, England Austin Andrew Fraknoi. astronomer, Foothill Marvin Minsky, professor of Media Arts Marvin Zelen, statistician, Harvard Univ. and Sciences, M.I.T. College, Los Altos Hills, Calif. Lin Zixin, former editor, Science and Kendrick Frazler,* science writer. Editor, David Morrison, space scientist, NASA Technology Daily (China) Ames Research Center S«rncAi. INQUIRER Richard A. Muller, professor of physics, •Member, CSICOP Executive Council Yves Galifret Exec. Secretary, I'Union Univ. of Calif., Berkeley (Affiliations given for identification only.) Rationaliste Visit the new CSICOP web site at http://www.csicop.org The Skeptical INQUIRER (ISSN 0194-6730) u published bimonthly by the Committee for the Scientific work of individual authors Thar publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by CSI­ Investigation of claims of the Paranormal. 3965 Rensch Rd.. Amherst. NY 14228-2743- Printed in COP or in memberiunless so stated. USA. Second-class postage pud u Amherst, New York, and additional mailing office. Subscription Copyright Or996 by die Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of die Paranormal. pricer one foi (ux issues). $29.50; two yean. $49 00-. three yean, $6900; angle issue. $4.95. All rights reserved. The Skeptical Inquirer is available on 16mm microfilm. 35mm microfilm, and Inquiries from die media and the public about the work of die Committee should be made to 105mm microfiche from University Microfilms International and u indexed in the Readers Guide to Paul Kurtz. Chairman. CSICOP. Box 703. Amherst. NY 14226-0703- Tel.. (716) 636-1425. FAX: Periodical Literature. 716-636-1733. Subscriptions, change of address, and advertising should be addressed to: Skeptical Inquirer. Box Manuscript!, letters, books tor review, and editorial inquiries should be addressed to Kendrick 703. Amherst. NY 14226-0703. Old address as well as new are necessary for change of subscriber's Frazicr. Editor. Skeptical Inquirer. 944 Deer Drive NE. Albuquerque NM 87122-1306- FAX 505- address, with six weeks advance notice Skeptical Inquirer subscribers may not (peak on behalf of CSI­ 828-2080. For Guide for Authors, fax request to (he Editor or see May-June 1995 issue, page 63. COP or Skeptical Inquirer Articles, reports, renews, and letters published in the Skeptical Inquirer represent the views and Postmaster Send changes of address to Skeptical Inquirer. BOX "03. Amherst. NY 14226-0703. Skeptical Inquirer January/February 1996 • VOL 20, NO. 1 Faking an Alien, p. 19 SPECIAL REPORT 19 How to Make an 'Alien' for 'Autopsy' It's easy, says a Hollywood creature effects artist. And, m fact, this is how he suspects die 'alien body in the notorious 'autopsy' film shown on Fox was created. The paranormal TREY STOKES becomes normal in film 23 A Surgeon's View of the 'Alien Autopsy1 and television, p. 45 JOSEPH A. BAUER. M.D. 25 EMDR Treatment: Less Than Meets the Eye? Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing has been hailed by many as a major breakthrough m the treatment of anxiety disorders. COLUMNS It rests on a surprisingly weak foundation of research evidence. SCOTT O. LILIENFELD EDITOR'S NOTE A NEWS AND COMMENT 32 Edgar Cayce: The 'Prophet Who Psychics Strike Out (Again) in 1995 / New Eye on 'Slept His Way to the Top Nature: Cradles of (Star) Creation / A Typical Aries? 5 Known as the 'Sleeping Prophet,' Edgar Cayce was m the headlines NOTES OF A FRINGE-WATCHER for going into sleeplike trances to make predictions and dispense Post-Freudian Dream Theory medical advice. He kept his own scorecards. Are they evidence of MARTIN GARDNER .7 success or merely anecdotes? DALE BEYERSTEIN MEDIA WATCH Who Plays the Fool? 3 8 Psychic Crime Detectives: A New Test for C EUGENE EMERY, JR .13 Measuring Their Successes and Failures INVESTIGATIVE FILES The Devil's Footprints': Solving a Classic Mystery A controlled test of 'psychic detectives,' using a novel method, found JOE NICKELL 16 dm they mere no more accurate than college students. Yet t/ie psychics all thought u\ey had been successful NEW BOOKS 54 RICHARD WISEMAN, DONALD WEST. ARTICLES OF NOTE 54 AND ROY STEMMAN FORUM Looking Up to Logic 41 Health Statistics May Be Bad BRYAN FARHA 55 for Our Mental Health Don't Bother Me With the Facts Psychological, mathematical, and factual lapses underlie many of our EUE A. SHNEOUR 56 inappropriate reactions to statistics. News reports often help foster LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 60 these responses. JOHN ALLEN PAULOS BOOK REVIEWS 45 Science and Reason At the Fringes of Science in Film and Television by Michael W. Friedlander Recent entertainment media portrayals of science and pseudoscience BARRY MARKOVSKY .49 imply t/iat skepticism is no longer useful and may even be dangerous. Reason in the Balance WILLIAM EVANS by Phillip Johnson THOMAS H. JUKES .50 The Health Robbers by Stephen Barrett and William T. Jarvis ^ WOLF RODER .52 ON THE COVER: Photo from the Hubble Space Telescope. Trie Incredible Discover} of Noah's Ark Sec "New Eye on Nature.' page 6. Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen (Arizona State by Charles E. Selber and David W Balsiger University), and NASA. DAVID PITT .53 EDITOR'S NOTE Skeptical Inquirer THI MAGAZINE of Science AND REASON Explorers of the Boundary Editor Kendrick Frazier ecently the scholarly journal Public Understanding of