Editing Dowsing (section)

===Pseudoscience===
Dowsing is in all other respects considered to be a [[pseudoscience]].<ref name="IHcaP">[[Brian Regal|Regal, Brian]]. (2009). ''Pseudoscience: A Critical Encyclopedia''. Greenwood. pp. 56–57. {{ISBN|978-1591020868}}</ref><ref name="2TJeM">[[Massimo Pigliucci|Pigliucci, Massimo]]; [[Maarten Boudry|Boudry, Maarten]]. (2013). ''Philosophy of Pseudoscience: Reconsidering the Demarcation Problem''. University Of Chicago Press p. 38. {{ISBN|978-0-226-05196-3}}</ref><ref name="nqeNG">[[Benjamin Radford|Radford, Benjamin]]. (2013). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130703010233/http://www.livescience.com/34486-dowsing-water-witching.html "Dowsing: The Pseudoscience of Water Witching"]. Live Science.</ref>

Psychologist [[David Marks (psychologist)|David Marks]] in a 1986 article in ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]'' included dowsing in a list of "effects which until recently were claimed to be [[paranormal]] but which can now be explained from within orthodox science."<ref name="marks1986">{{cite journal|last=Marks|first=David F.|author-link= David Marks (psychologist)|date=March 13, 1986|title=Investigating the paranormal|journal=Nature|publisher=Nature Publishing Group|volume=320|pages=119–124|issn=0028-0836|doi=10.1038/320119a0|pmid=3951553|issue=6058|bibcode=1986Natur.320..119M|s2cid=4329580}}</ref> Specifically, dowsing could be explained in terms of [[sensory cue]]s, [[Observer-expectancy effect|expectancy effects]], and [[probability]].<ref name="marks1986" />

Science writer [[Peter Daempfle]] has noted that when dowsing is subjected to scientific testing, it fails. Daempfle has written that although some dowsers claim success, this can be attributed to the underground [[water table]] being distributed relatively uniformly in certain areas.<ref name="XGif0">[[Peter Daempfle|Daempfle, Peter]]. (2013). ''Good Science, Bad Science, Pseudoscience, and Just Plain Bunk: How to Tell the Difference''. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 115. {{ISBN|978-1-4422-1728-7}}</ref>

According to archaeologist [[Kenneth Feder]], "the vast majority of archaeologists don't use dowsing, because they don't believe it works."<ref name="Feder 2010" />

Psychologist [[Chris French]] has noted that "dowsing does not work when it is tested under properly controlled conditions that rule out the use of other cues to indicate target location."<ref name="French 2013" />

Water dowsers often achieve good results because random chance has a high probability of finding water in favorable terrain.<ref name="M6d9g">{{Cite web|url=https://video.arstechnica.com/watch/teach-the-controversy-dowsing|title=Teach the Controversy: Dowsing|website=Ars Technica Videos|language=en|access-date=2019-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410084945/https://video.arstechnica.com/watch/teach-the-controversy-dowsing|archive-date=2019-04-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>