Quantifying the Phenomenology of Ghostly Episodes: Part I - Need for a Standard Operationalization

Houran, James; Laythe, Brian; O’Keeffe, Ciarán; Dagnall, Neil; Drinkwater, Kenneth; Lange, Rense

doi:10.30891/jopar.2019.01.03

Cited by 27 publications

(48 citation statements)

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“…While EFAs attribute validity to measures, CFAs also confirm and validate the structural model that justifies the conceptual bases of the instrument (e.g., Ruiz, 2000 ). Indeed, as with Houran et al. (2019) , the main problem encountered in this research was the lack of previously validated theoretical models.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As mentioned at the outset, the identification of variables concomitant with anomalous phenomena faces a major challenge: in some cases, the existing scientific literature is not entirely clear as to which variables correlate with anomalous phenomena and belief in the paranormal (e.g., Houran and Lange, 2004 ; Houran et al., 2019 ). Some of the trends highlighted in the preceding paragraphs have been replicated, with different results, and measurement instruments that effectively assess the correlated factors have not been confirmed in the scientific literature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Researching unexplained phenomena: empirical-statistical validity and reliability of the Multivariable Multiaxial Suggestibility Inventory-2 (MMSI-2)

Escolà‐Gascón

2020

Heliyon

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Anomalous phenomena are unexplained occurrences, such as paranormal experiences, that challenge the ontological bases of current scientific knowledge and are considered scientifically impossible. Problematically, some scientific research yields significant statistical results in favor of the existence of telepathy , precognition , mind-matter interaction , and mediumship. The current study presents and statistically justifies the Multivariable Multiaxial Suggestibility Inventory-2 (MMSI-2), a new psychological instrument to measure and detect the main psychological explanations for anomalous experiences. A nonprobabilistic sample of 3,224 subjects without a psychiatric history were recruited from the general population of Spain. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to examine the internal structure of the MMSI-2's 174 items. Direct oblimin and promax oblique rotations were applied as criteria for axis rotation. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and their ordinal transformation were also calculated, and gender-differentiated scales for the raw MMSI-2 scale scores were developed. The first-order factorial solution yielded a total of 16 factors that explained 92.84% of the variance. Of these, 10 corresponded to the psychological variables cited in the background literature, four classified the anomalous phenomena according to their sensory mode, and two represented prototype control scales for this class of psychometric inventory. The higher-order EFA grouped the MMSI-2 scales into four macrofactors that together explained 97.737% of the variance. Satisfactory reliability rates were obtained (alphas>0.8). The full version of the MMSI-2 with 174 items is a valid and reliable psychometric instrument for evaluating anomalous phenomena and the theoretically concomitant psychological variables. Similarly, the scaling of scores can be used in psychological assessment as a screening tool to identify clinically suspected psychological variables.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching unexplained phenomena: empirical-statistical validity and reliability of the Multivariable Multiaxial Suggestibility Inventory-2 (MMSI-2)

Escolà‐Gascón

2020

Heliyon

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“…Similar anomalies that persist at specific locations are said to constitute a second classification, "haunts" or "hauntings" (Gauld andCornell, 1979/2017;Roll and Persinger, 2001). However, a firm distinction between these two types of occurrences is tenuous due to their overlapping characteristics (Dixon et al, 2018;Houran et al, 2019b;Ventola et al, 2019) and shared set of psychological and physical anomalies that conform to a unidimensional and probabilistic (Rasch) hierarchy (Houran and Lange, 2001a;Houran et al, 2002bHouran et al, , 2019a. Thus, a common source or set of mechanisms might underlie both kinds of episodes.…”

Section: Possibly Morementioning

confidence: 99%

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

et al. 2020

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This paper contains a narrative overview of the past 20-years of environmental research on anomalous experiences attributed to "haunted house." This exercise served as a much-needed update to an anthology of noteworthy overviews on ghosts, haunts, and poltergeists (Houran and Lange, 2001b). We also considered whether new studies had incorporated certain recommendations made in this anthology. Our search revealed a relative paucity of studies (n = 66) on environmental factors that ostensibly stimulate haunt-type experiences. This literature was diverse and often lacked methodological consistency and adherence to the prior suggestions. However, critical consideration of the content revealed a recurring focus on six ambient variables: embedded (static) cues, lighting levels, air quality, temperature, infrasound, and electromagnetic fields. Their relation to the onset or structure of witness reports showed mostly null, though sometimes inconsistent or weak outcomes. However, such research as related to haunts is arguably in its infancy and new designs are needed to account better for environmental and architectural phenomenology. Future studies should therefore address four areas: (i) more consistent and precise measurements of discrete ambient variables; (ii) the potential role of "Gestalt influences" that involve holistic environmentperson interactions; (iii) individual differences in attentional or perceptual sensitivities of percipients to environmental variables; and (iv) the role of attitudinal and normative influences in the interpretation of environmental stimuli. Focused scrutiny on these issues should clarify the explanatory power of evolutionary-environmental models for these and related anomalous experiences.

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“…Haunt and poltergeist accounts might therefore represent merely one portrayal of an adaptable "core" phenomenon that we denote as HP-S. We further presume this core experience is produced via "the right people in the right settings" (Laythe, Houran, & Ventola, 2018, p. 210). Specifically, Rasch (1960Rasch ( , 1980 scaling studies suggest there is a probabilistic hierarchy of 32 "base" anomalous events (Houran et al, 2019a(Houran et al, , 2019b. These manifest typically in psychosocial or physical environments linked to physiological arousal (Houran, Kumar, Thalbourne, & Lavertue, 2002;Jawer, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These manifest typically in psychosocial or physical environments linked to physiological arousal (Houran, Kumar, Thalbourne, & Lavertue, 2002;Jawer, 2006). Moreover, individuals higher in transliminality (thin mental boundaries) tend to report these experiences to a greater extent (Laythe et al, 2018), which implies a heightened susceptibility to higharousal or "dis-ease" states (Evans, Lange, Houran, & Lynn, 2018;Ventola et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dr. John Hall story: a case study in putative “Haunted People Syndrome”

O’Keeffe

Houran

et al. 2019

Mental Health, Religion & Culture

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Research suggests a "Haunted People Syndrome (HP-S)" defined by recurrent and systematic perceptions of anomalous subjective and objective anomalies. Such signs or symptoms are traditionally attributed to "spirits and the supernatural," but these themes are hypothesised to morph to "surveillance and stalking" in reports of "group-(or gang) stalking," We tested this premise with a qualiquantitative exercise that mapped group-stalking experiences from a published first-hand account to a Rasch measure of haunttype anomalies. This comparison found significant agreement in the specific "signs or symptoms" of both phenomena. Metapatterns likewise showed clear conceptual similarities between the phenomenology of haunts and group-stalking. Findings are consistent with the idea that both anomalous episodes involve the same, or similar, attentional or perceptual processes and thereby support the viability of the HP-S construct.

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Quantifying the Phenomenology of Ghostly Episodes: Part I - Need for a Standard Operationalization

Cited by 27 publications

References 0 publications

Researching unexplained phenomena: empirical-statistical validity and reliability of the Multivariable Multiaxial Suggestibility Inventory-2 (MMSI-2)

Researching unexplained phenomena: empirical-statistical validity and reliability of the Multivariable Multiaxial Suggestibility Inventory-2 (MMSI-2)

Things That Go Bump in the Literature: An Environmental Appraisal of “Haunted Houses”

The Dr. John Hall story: a case study in putative “Haunted People Syndrome”

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