An investigation into alleged ‘hauntings’

Abstract

In cases of alleged hauntings, a large number of seemingly trustworthy witnesses consistently report experiencing unusual phenomena (e.g. apparitions, sudden changes in temperature, a strong sense of presence) in certain locations. The two studies reported here explored the psychological mechanisms that underlie this apparent evidence of 'ghostly' activity. The experiments took place at two locations that have a considerable reputation for being haunted-Hampton Court Palace (Surrey, England) and the South Bridge Vaults (Edinburgh, Scotland). Both studies involved participants walking around these locations and reporting where they experienced unusual phenomena. Results revealed signi cantly more reports of unusual experiences in areas that had a reputation for being haunted. This effect was not related to participants' prior knowledge about the reputation of these areas. However, the location of participants' experiences correlated signi cantly with various environmental factors, including, for example, the variance of local magnetic elds and lighting levels. These ndings strongly suggest that alleged hauntings may not necessarily represent evidence for 'ghostly' activity, but could be, at least in part, the result of people responding to 'normal' factors in their surroundings.Recent polls reveal that approximately 38% of Americans believe that ghosts exist (Gallup, 2001), and 13%report having experienced one (MORI, 1998). Such experiences involve a diverse range of phenomena, including apparitions, unusual odours, sudden changes in temperature and a strong sense of presence (Lange, Houran, Harte, & Havens, 1996). In a relatively small number of cases, witnesses consistently report these experiences in certain locations, often giving rise to the belief that these places are 'haunted'. The best of these cases appear evidentially impressive, sometimes lasting several years and involving a large number of seeminglytrustworthy witnesses reporting unusual phenomena in the same 'haunted' areas (for further information see Gauld &

Affective response to 5 µT ELF magnetic field‐induced physiological changes

“…Efforts should also be made to minimise, or at least standardise between conditions, any potential environmental cues that could bias participant responses. More generally, given that the field intensities (5 mT) and frequency characteristics (8.3-12.2 Hz, sinusoidal) of the MFs used in this study could be reproduced by commonly found electrical equipment and possibly by natural sources, the findings reported here could underlie a variety of anomalous experiences, ranging from 'paranormal' experiences linked to geographical sites [e.g., Wiseman et al, 2003;Braithwaite, 2004] to the relatively strong symptoms reported by self-identified 'electrosensitive' people [Leitgeb and Schröttner, 2003]; in both cases, the diversity of reported effect could relate to the particular interpretive cues available at the MF exposure location and the subjective interpretation of them, rather than being a direct result of the MF itself.…”

“…Although such fields do affect human physiology and behaviour, the direction of effects is inconsistent [Cook et al, 2002;Leitgeb and Schröttner, 2003] with a range of complex and apparently unrelated behaviours being susceptible, including mental health declines [Beale et al, 1997], pain sensitivity [Papi et al, 1995], 'paranormal' experiences [Wiseman et al, 2002[Wiseman et al, , 2003Braithwaite, 2004], and sleep disturbances [Graham and Cook, 1999].…”

Neuromagnetic effects on Anomalous Cognitive Experiences: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence for Induced Sensed-presence and Haunt-type Experiences

“…For example, in the Wiseman et al (2003) study of Hampton Court Palace, the variability in magnetic fields between the reputedly haunted locations and the baseline locations was statistically significant. It was argued that this supports the studies of Persinger and colleagues and lends weight to the plausibility of the neuromagnetic account.…”

“…These factors include; (i) low lighting levels, (ii) ambiguous sources of stimulation (iii) the presence of draughts (iv) room size (v) contextual and suggestive furnishings, and (vi) localised complex magnetic fields (Braithwaite, 2004;2008;Houran, 2000;Lange & Houran, 2001, 1997: Persinger, 1988Persinger & Koren, 2001;Persinger, Koren, & O'Connor, 2001;Persinger, Tiller, & Koren, 2000;Richards, Persinger, & Koren, 1993;Roll & Persinger, 2001;Wiseman, Watt, Greening, Stevens, O'Keeffe, 2002;Wiseman, Watt, Stevens, Greening, O'Keeffe, 2003; see also Brugger, 2001;McCue, 2002; for a discussion).…”

Artifacts that speak for themselves: Sounds underfoot in Mesoamerica

“…Natural world sounds are considered to be the basis of human music (Fink, 2003;Hickman et al, 2002) and their use has been compared cross culturally (Tuzin, 1984). Sound waves affect extraordinary human psychological and physiological function, to include inaudible low-frequency (infrasonic) (Ashmead and Wall, 2000;Rushforth et al, 2000;Sheppard and Sheppard, 1993;Von Gierke and Nixon, 1976;Wiseman et al, 2003), harmonic resonance (Gaynor, 1999), and repetition of beats (Neher, 1961(Neher, , 1962Rogers, 1976). Binaural beat (Kendall and Martens, 1984;Mills, 1972) and high-frequency (ultrasonic) sound (Tomatis, 1991) are effective means to enhance cognitive function and suppress or mask pain (Gardner and Licklider, 1959).…”