Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there by Richard Wiseman Page A

a magnet under the table. Or, they might even suggest experimenting with static electricity. However, people just don’t tend to think about secretly blowing on the pencil. In the same way the most people struggle with the puzzles above because they don’t think about the equation being about time, or that a line in the shape of the letter ‘S’ would make the word SIX, so Hydrick fooled some sceptics by using a method that didn’t cross their non-lateral minds.  
    Of course, this principle is not going to fool everyone. After all, some people are naturals when it comes to thinking outside the box, while others know a thing or two about trickery, and so would have considered the 'blowing' option. To crack these tougher nuts, Hydrick needed to employ the next principle.
     
    Cover Your Tracks  
    Watching film of Hydrick in action is fascinating, and reveals just how skilled he was. He uses two main techniques to discourage the ‘doesn’t he just blow on it?’ brigade. First, Hydrick had spent months learning how to carefully control his breath, allowing him to produce perfectly timed puffs of air that took a few moments to reach the objects. The slight time delay between puff and impact gave him time to turn his head around, thus ensuring that he was looking away from the object when it moved. Second, he didn’t blow directly at the objects, but rather at the surface of the table. The air currents were then travelling along the tabletop, hitting the objects and causing them to move. This technique ensured that there was never a direct path between Hydrick’s mouth and the object. Together, these techniques were extremely deceptive, and allowed him to cover his tracks and encourage those considering the ‘blowing’ hypothesis to jettison the idea.  
    When he appeared on That’s Incredible! Hydrick encountered the toughest type of spectator – the informed   sceptic. Host John Davidson was suspicious that Hydrick might be cheating, had figured out that he was breathing on the objects, and did not have the wool pulled over his eyes by Hydrick’s head turn and tabletop blowing. To fool Davidson, Hydrick used the fourth and especially deceptive technique. 
    Change the Route  
    Our brains are very poor at coping with problems in which the correct answer changes from one moment to the next, and instead like to think that there is a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Fake psychics like Hydrick exploit this assumption by switching methods when they repeat a demonstration. If one performance rules out one method, and a second performance rules out a second method, spectators assume that neither method accounts for either performance and so conclude in favour of a miracle.
    Hydrick’s performance on That’s Incredible! is a classic demonstration of changing the route. When Davidson expressed his scepticism, Hydrick invited the host to place his hand over Hydrick’s mouth and yet the pencil still rotated. Why? Because Hydrick made a quick karate chop in the air and the resulting currents caused the pencil to move. He changed the route, and both Davidson and the viewers were completely fooled.
    Hydrick fooled different people for different reasons. Some believed that he was psychic and so the thought of trickery never entered their duck-loving minds. Others considered the possibility that they were watching a trick, but didn’t think of the correct method. Some thought of the correct method but Hydrick’s head-turning and indirect blowing made them think that they were wrong. A minority thought of the correct solution and were not fooled by his skilled performance, but were baffled when he switched methods during repeated performances. Still, although highly effective, all of these principles would have a high chance of failure if it not for the fifth, and most important, factor.  
     
    BOX
     
    THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SPOON-BENDING
     
    It’s time to apply some of the principles of deception discussed so far to fool