Cold Reading

"Cold reading" is a set of techniques used by mentalists to extract information from a subject then feeding the information back to them as if the reader had special abilities.Sometimes the term is used loosely to include "warm reading". In warm reading, a mentalist will tell a subject things which would be true of almost anyone, or which almost anyone would like to believe about themselves. (ex. "You have unused potential.")

Cold Reading: The Tricks of the Psychics - Article by William Goldberg on tricks used by cult leaders and psychics to prove alleged supernatural abilities.
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Guide to "Cold Reading" - The Australian Skeptic's 13 point how-to guide to cold reading.
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JREF: The Art of Cold Reading - Article by James Randi about cold reading.
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Skeptic's Dictionary: Cold Reading - Encyclopedia-type article on cold reading techniques.
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Insolitology: So, You Wanna Be a Psychic? - Description of cold reading techniques, with several illustrations from readings by TV psychic John Edwards.
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