Nicol, Betty (Elizabeth) Humphrey(1917-1993)

Psychologist and parapsychologist. She was born Elizabeth Humphrey on June 7, 1917, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She studied at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana (B.A. philosophy, 1940), and Duke University (Ph.D. psychology, 1946). While at Earlham she became interested in psychical research and pursued her doctoral degree at Duke in order to work with J. B. Rhine. In the early 1950s she collaborated with her future husband on attempts to discern the personality correlates of psychic ability. In 1955 she married parapsychologist J. Fraser Nicol. She undertook a detailed analysis of published precognition cases in order to ascertain optimal psychological and physical conditions for spontaneous precognition, a project sponsored by a grant from the Parapsychology Foundation. She also wrote a number of articles.

Nicol died in January 1993.

Sources:

Berger, Arthur S., and Joyce Berger. The Encyclopedia of Parapsychology and Psychical Research. New York: Paragon House, 1991.

Humphrey, Elizabeth. Handbook of Tests in Parapsychology. Durham, N.C.: Parapsychology Laboratory, 1948.

——. "Simultaneous High and Low Aim in PK Tests." Journal of Parapsychology 11 (1947).

Pleasants, Helene, ed. Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology. New York: Helix Press, 1964.

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