| An experiment was devised to afford an objective
and definitive test of the claims for dianetic therapy. Provision was
made for obtaining adequate information without anticipating the direction
of the effects of dianetic therapy. Dianetic proponents specifically
claim effectiveness in only three areas: intellectual functioning, mathematical
ability, and personality conflicts. These areas were measured by tests
selected because they were standardized instruments shown to be both reliable
and valid. For mathematical ability and intellectual functioning, multiple
tests were used in an effort to provide a representative score. Three
equated groups of subjects, totalling 36 persons, were selected. The three
groups were exposed to different amounts of dianetic therapy during an interval
of 60 days, the first having no hours, the second 18 hours, and the third
36 hours. Eighteen hours of dianetic therapy are claimed to afford
a significant change in the subjects in the three areas. The design
utilized the controls of educational status and age with the influence of
sex partialled out. The tests were administered to all subjects both
before and after the therapeutic interval. For the second testing session,
alternate forms of the tests were used. Difference scores were calculated
for each subject in each of the areas measured and these were subjected to
statistical analysis. The method of multiple factor analysis and variance
was used. For the population of disturbed persons who applied for dianetic therapy, and who were between the ages of 22 and 47 years, and who had at least some high school education, regardless of the sex of these persons, it was concluded that: (1) dianetic therapy does not exert a systematic influence either favorably or adversely upon intellectual functioning; (2) dianetic therapy does not exert a systematic influence either favorably or adversely upon mathematical ability; and (3) dianetic therapy does not exert a systematic influence either favorably or adversely upon the degree of personality conflicts.
|