Psychic hotline Study: Volunteers needed for research study

Hi I'm helping a friend who is looking for volunteers for a study conducted by Auckland University in New Zealand. It is an international study and they are looking for participants anywhere in the world.

Here are the details...

Have you ever sought guidance from psychic hotlines? Maybe you have worked on a psychic hotline yourself? If so, we would love to hear about your experiences. Please call or email Dr Shepherd at the University of Auckland for a confidential discussion.
Email [email protected] or phone: +64 9 3737599 x 86573

THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND HUMAN PARTICIPANTS ETHICS COMMITTEE ON September 1st 2006 for 3 YEARS REFERENCE NUMBER 2006/Q/032


I have copies of the survey so I'll see if there's a place I can upload it so you can download the questionnaire and send it direct...

Angelinity said:

Ugh! psychic hotlines are businesses praying on human vulnerability. they use psychological tricks and guessing games to extort scraps of information from distraught callers, then use scare tactics to build on on that information and upsell.

for a while i actively sought 'psychics', in person and otherwise, in an attempt to disprove my skepticism -- if you keep your wits about you, the cheap tricks are obvious!

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then perhaps you'd consider helping Robin with the study. She's looking to find out how extensive psychic hotline use is, whether people are addicted, how much they spend, whether they are receiving help or being ripped off!

CoriSCapnSkip said:

Try looking up information on Miss Cleo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Cleo and you should unearth a wealth of material.

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thanks but that's not what she's after. she'd like to interview people who use psychic phone lines or have worked on them as part of a research program.

Tiger said:

It sounds to me as though her friend is researching hotline usage, and not trying to put a university study behind a cold-reading scam.

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spot on!

She's looking to understand usage, whether people are addicted and whether there are any regulations governing use. The initial response indicates there are people out there showing signs of addiction but she needs more responders.

She'd also like to talk to people who work on the phones to hear how it works from their perspective...

Here is the questionnaire for anyone who is interested. You can complete it and email it to the University

SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
Ringing Psychic Hotlines
Spring 2007 (northern hemisphere)
Fall 2007 (southern hemisphere)

Introduction

Hi, my name if Robin Shepherd from the University of Auckland, School of Population Health.

I am conducting a survey on individuals who ring the psychic hotlines quite a bit. We’d like to find out what motivates individuals to ring psychic hotline. .

The survey should take no more than 30 minutes. The time depends upon how much you disclose about your experiences ringing psychic hotlines.

Ok, I’d like to inform you that this survey is completely voluntary, the information you give is anonymous, and you can stop the interview or withdraw your information at any time. This survey has been approved by the University Ethics Committee, and all data collected is locked in a secure file at the university for up to six years. After six years, the data is shredded. If you have any concerns please contact the following:
Dr. Robin Shepherd, University of Auckland, 100 Morrin Avenue, Tamaki campus, Glen innes, Auckland, 093737599 x 86573 or [email protected]
Head of the Department contact is Professor David Thomas, University of Auckland, 100 Morrin Avenue, Tamaki campus, Glen innes, Auckland, 093737599 x [email protected]

Are you okay with that? ……Thank you. Please type under the question and send it back at your convenience.

I start off with demographic questions in order to explore any similarities for those who ring psychic hotlines.
1. Gender
2. Age at last birthday
3. Ethnic identity
4. Religion
5. Do you practice your religion?
6. Occupation
7. Highest educational attainment
8. Any social support accessible? E.g. family support or friends?
9. Marital status
10. Country you live in now?






(Semi Structured Interview section)

Can you start off with how you started ringing up psychic hotlines?

Please answer all questions if you feel comfortable doing so.

 What was/were the main event(s) going on in your life when you initially rang the psychic hotline?
 Was there a crisis going on at the time?
 Were you feeling anxious or depressed at the time? Can you elaborate?
 Did you have anyone else you could have talked to about this situation?
 Any support from family or friends?
 Does anyone in your family or circle of friends know you ring the hotlines?
 Have you approached counselling instead of ringing a psychic? If so, did they help? If not, what is appealing about going to a psychic rather than a counsellor?
 What was appealing about the psychic hotlines?
 Did the phone call provide relief? If so, can you elaborate?
 How often would you ring the psychic hotlines? Please explain factors motivating you to ring.
 How much money would each call cost personally?
 How much money have you spent on the psychic hotlines? For how long? (e.g. 10 months, 4 years, etc.).
 Did the psychics try to get you to stay online? If so, please elaborate.
 Was there a pattern to your ringing the psychic hotlines? (daily, weekly, evenings only, weekends, middle of the night).
 Would you say that psychic hotlines replace religion or provide a form of spirituality for you?
 Have you in the past engage in other forms of psychic phenomena? Tarot card reading, going to mediums, ouija board, runes, other (please specify)______ If yes, how long have you been engaged in these activities?
 Any other comments you would like to make?


Questionnaire on psychic hotlines (please highlight or delete as appropriate). Please answer the questions when you are/were ringing psychic hotlines.

1. I think about ringing psychic hotlines when I am not on a psychic hotline yes no
2. I miss activities because of ringing psychic hotlines yes no
3. I often fail to get enough sleep because of my ringing psychic hotlines yes no
4. I often experience a buzz of excitement from ringing psychic hotlines yes no
5. I tend to want to spend increasing amounts of time (and money) ringing psychic hotlines
yes no
6. When I am not ringing psychic hotlines, I often feel agitated yes no
7. Arguments have sometimes arisen at home because of my time on the phone with psychics yes no
8. My social life has sometimes suffered because of my phone calls to psychics yes no
9. Ringing psychics have interfered with my work . yes no
10. I have made unsuccessful attempts to reduce the time I spend ringing psychic hotlines yes no



If this has caused any stress or distress, please contact me and I will try to find suitable support if you can’t. Thank you for your help with this worthwhile project.
For Ethical concerns contact: The Chair, The University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee, The University of Auckland, Room 005 Alfred Nathan House, 24 Princes Street, Private Bag 92019, Auckland. Tel: 3737599 extn. 87830.