Robert A. Baker
Encyclopedia
Robert Allen Baker Jr. was an American
psychologist
, skeptic
, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranormal phenomena. He wrote 15 books and is a Past Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
. His father did shoe repair and his mother was a drugstore clerk. Despite their own lack of education, his parents encouraged him to study from an early age. He attended primary school in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
and graduated from Hopkinsville High School
in 1939. He served in the Army Air Forces as a cryptographer during World War II
, and began reading about human psychology at that time.
in 1948 and later returned to receive a masters degree in psychology. He received a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University
in 1951.
After completing his PhD, he became a staff scientist at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory
, doing military research. In 1953 he joined the Human Resources Research Office at Fort Knox
, where he did human factors research relating to the Army.
He served on the faculty of Chico State College and Indiana University Southeast
and was a staff psychologist for the Kentucky Department of Corrections. In 1969 he joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky
in the psychology department. He was chairman of the psychology department for four years. Baker spent the last 20 years of his career here, until his retirement.
He served as president of the Kentucky Psychological Association and was a fellow of the American Psychological Association
.
Baker was a critic of pseudoscience
in the practice of psychiatry
and psychotherapy
, and of the coercive nature of psychiatry. He wrote on this topic and allied himself with Thomas Szasz
in his criticism.
As a university psychologist, he sometimes encountered cases with a paranormal element. He would do his best to find a non-paranormal explanation or resolution for these cases, and eventually gained a reputation as a "ghost buster".
When Joe Nickell
was seeking an advanced degree at the University of Kentucky, the two met. They later worked together on several paranormal investigations and co-wrote a book on the topic. Nickell once said, "No one knew more about alien abductions than Robert Baker."
After retiring from the university in 1989, he devoted much of his time to scientific skepticism
, writing several books on related topics including hypnosis
, ghost
s, alien abductions
and false memory syndrome. He used his expertise in psychology to argue that many paranormal phenomena can be explained via human psychological effects such as hallucination
s or sleep paralysis
.
He was an organizer with and served as president of the Kentucky Association of Science Educators and Skeptics. He wrote numerous articles and book reviews for Skeptical Inquirer
magazine and CSI's Skeptical Briefs newsletter.
In 1999, a panel of skeptics named him among the two dozen most outstanding skeptics of the 20th Century.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, skeptic
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
, author, and investigator of ghosts, UFO abductions, lake monsters and other paranormal phenomena. He wrote 15 books and is a Past Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Early life
Baker was born in 1921 in the little community of Blackford, in Webster County, KentuckyWebster County, Kentucky
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Webster County was formed in 1860 from parts of the counties of Henderson, Hopkins, and Union. As of 2000, the population is 14,120. Its county seat is Dixon. The county was named for American statesman Daniel Webster...
. His father did shoe repair and his mother was a drugstore clerk. Despite their own lack of education, his parents encouraged him to study from an early age. He attended primary school in Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
and graduated from Hopkinsville High School
Hopkinsville High School
Hopkinsville High School is a four-year public high school located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, with over 1,000 students. It is operated by the Christian County Public Schools school district.-History:...
in 1939. He served in the Army Air Forces as a cryptographer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and began reading about human psychology at that time.
Academic career
Baker graduated from the University of KentuckyUniversity of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in 1948 and later returned to receive a masters degree in psychology. He received a doctorate in psychology from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1951.
After completing his PhD, he became a staff scientist at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory
Lincoln Laboratory
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, located in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a United States Department of Defense research and development center chartered to apply advanced technology to problems of national security. Research and development activities focus on long-term technology development as well as...
, doing military research. In 1953 he joined the Human Resources Research Office at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
, where he did human factors research relating to the Army.
He served on the faculty of Chico State College and Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast
Indiana University Southeast is a regional campus in the Indiana University system and is located in New Albany, Indiana, in Floyd County, which is in south-central Indiana and part of the metropolitan Louisville, Kentucky, area.- History :...
and was a staff psychologist for the Kentucky Department of Corrections. In 1969 he joined the faculty of the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in the psychology department. He was chairman of the psychology department for four years. Baker spent the last 20 years of his career here, until his retirement.
He served as president of the Kentucky Psychological Association and was a fellow of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
.
Baker was a critic of pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
in the practice of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
and psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, and of the coercive nature of psychiatry. He wrote on this topic and allied himself with Thomas Szasz
Thomas Szasz
Thomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. Since 1990 he has been Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. He is a well-known social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, and of the social...
in his criticism.
Career as a skeptic
His parents instilled skepticism in him from an early age. He was interested in ghosts as a child, but was disappointed to discover upon investigation that the noises emanating from a nearby "haunted cave" were actually natural in origin.As a university psychologist, he sometimes encountered cases with a paranormal element. He would do his best to find a non-paranormal explanation or resolution for these cases, and eventually gained a reputation as a "ghost buster".
When Joe Nickell
Joe Nickell
Joe Nickell is a prominent skeptical investigator of the paranormal. He also works as an historical document consultant and has helped expose such famous forgeries as the purported diary of Jack the Ripper. In 2002 he was one of a number of experts asked by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr...
was seeking an advanced degree at the University of Kentucky, the two met. They later worked together on several paranormal investigations and co-wrote a book on the topic. Nickell once said, "No one knew more about alien abductions than Robert Baker."
After retiring from the university in 1989, he devoted much of his time to scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism
Scientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
, writing several books on related topics including hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
, ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s, alien abductions
Abduction phenomenon
The terms alien abduction or abduction phenomenon describe "subjectively real memories of being taken secretly against one’s will by apparently nonhuman entities and subjected to complex physical and psychological procedures." People claiming to have been abducted are usually called "abductees" or...
and false memory syndrome. He used his expertise in psychology to argue that many paranormal phenomena can be explained via human psychological effects such as hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s or sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis
Sleep paralysis is paralysis associated with sleep that may occur in healthy persons or may be associated with narcolepsy, cataplexy, and hypnagogic hallucinations. The pathophysiology of this condition is closely related to the normal hypotonia that occurs during REM sleep. When considered to be a...
.
He was an organizer with and served as president of the Kentucky Association of Science Educators and Skeptics. He wrote numerous articles and book reviews for Skeptical Inquirer
Skeptical Inquirer
The Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
magazine and CSI's Skeptical Briefs newsletter.
In 1999, a panel of skeptics named him among the two dozen most outstanding skeptics of the 20th Century.
See also
- CSICOP
- Joe NickellJoe NickellJoe Nickell is a prominent skeptical investigator of the paranormal. He also works as an historical document consultant and has helped expose such famous forgeries as the purported diary of Jack the Ripper. In 2002 he was one of a number of experts asked by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr...
- Scientific skepticismScientific skepticismScientific skepticism is the practice of questioning the veracity of claims lacking empirical evidence or reproducibility, as part of a methodological norm pursuing "the extension of certified knowledge". For example, Robert K...
- Skeptical InquirerSkeptical InquirerThe Skeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry with the subtitle: The magazine for science and reason....
- Thomas SzaszThomas SzaszThomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. Since 1990 he has been Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. He is a well-known social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, and of the social...