Extrasensory perception (ESP) is a paranormal ability that involves receiving information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. It is also known as the sixth sense and encompasses a wide range of abilities, including telepathy (mind reading), psychokinesis (moving objects without physical contact), and precognition (predicting the future). The term extrasensory perception was adopted by Duke University botanist J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as intuition, telepathy, psychometry, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, empathy, and their trans-temporal operation as precognition or retrocognition.

Despite the common belief in ESP, the scientific consensus does not view extrasensory perception as a scientific phenomenon. Skeptics have pointed out that there is no viable theory to explain the mechanism behind ESP, and that there are historical cases in which flaws have been discovered in the experimental design of parapsychological studies. However, a significant body of scientific evidence exists which may suggest otherwise.

Scientists have studied whether ESP exists using various tools and experiments. In the most typical of these experiments, one person, the sender, goes through a deck of cards, each depicting one of five symbols (like a star or cross), while another person, the receiver, tries to determine what symbol the sender is looking at. To eliminate any tips from body language, the sender is often shielded from view.

In summary, extrasensory perception is a paranormal ability that involves receiving information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. Despite the common belief in ESP, the scientific consensus does not view extrasensory perception as a scientific phenomenon. However, scientists have studied whether ESP exists using various tools and experiments.