Beloff, John (1920-)

Psychologist and parapsychologist; served as president of the Parapsychological Association in 1972 and again in 1982; president of the Society for Psychical Research, 1974-76; and editor of the society's Journal.

He studied philosophy and psychology at the University of London, England; became research assistant at the University of Illinois (1952); lecturer in psychology at Queen's University, Belfast, Ireland (1953); then was appointed senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1956. He has had a long career of research and writing in parapsychology. Among his numerous books, Psychological Sciences (1974) and New Directions in Parapsychology (1975) have been translated into several foreign languages. His later books include The Importance of Psychical Research (1988); The Relentless Question: Reflections on the Paranormal (1990) and Parapsychology: A Concise History (1993). He was also program committee chair for the joint Society for Psychical Research/Parapsychology Association Centenary Conference at Cambridge, England, in 1982.