EVP: For Kicks and Giggles

Paranormal theories link paranormal events with changes in humidity, barometric pressure and/or changes in temperature, solar activity, seismic activity, as well as the phase of moon. Just for kicks and giggles, we will add these variables to our tracking. I will blow the dust off my statistics text and see if we can find any correlation to the formation of an EVP with changes in the above.

Before we go any farther, let’s take a look at causation versus correlation.

One of the errors I see most frequently in the press (yes, that includes paranormal TV) is confusion between causation and correlation. In theory, these are easy to tell apart. Causation is an action or occurrence can cause or produce an effect on another. A correlation implies a relationship between two or more things. This relationship can be in areas such as space or time. If one action causes another, then they are most certainly correlated. By the same token, just because two things occur together, such as same space or same time, does not mean that one caused the other, even if it seems to make sense.

Let’s take a rooster.

Day one: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day two: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day three: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day four: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day five: Rooster crows. The sun comes up.

Day six: The rooster dies before he crows. Will the sun still come up?

Yes, of course the sun will rise. The rooster’s crow is CORRELATED with the sun rise. The rooster’s crow was related to the sunrise in time. The rooster’s crow does not CAUSE the sun to rise.

I suspect that sport superstitions develop due to a similar misconception of correlation and causation. That lucky jersey is lucky because it was worn at the winning game (correlation)....somehow I don’t think there is any recorded case in which a jersey made the winning touchdown (causation).

Let’s keep the difference between causation and correlation fresh in our head as we move forward in paranormal investigation. Just because two things happen close together in time or space, does not mean that one causes the other.

Field Test of EVP Origin

Just about every paranormal investigator has attempted to capture Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP). I have not met many that think about how EVPs are possible. Before we go too far, let’s define EVP:

Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) are anomalous, intelligible speech produced in electronic devices. They may be heard as a real-time output but are more generally heard on review of a subsequent recording. No currently understood physical processes account for the existence of EVP. http://atransc.org/journal/evp_formation.htm

The theories surrounding EVPs are many and varied. To me the theories fall in three categories:

Sound waves

The thought here is that spirits manipulate sound. Whether it be by using air pressure, white noise or some other mechanism spirits manipulate sound. For a nice write up on what sound is check here.

Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)

Proponents of this theory state that EVPs are created by invisible energy. EMR is all around us in the form of radio waves, microwaves, gamma waves and visible light. EMR comes from the sun, our televisions, cell towers and even our microwaves. Information on the EM spectrum can be found at this (and this) NASA page.

Other

Other theories exist such as: 1) Alien transmissions are being picked up. 2) Messages from other dimensions are being picked up. 3) Our own extra sensory perception [ESP] imprint EVPs on the recorder. 4) Ghosts are using ESP imprint EVPs on the recorder. I will exclude these possibilities from the current investigation question.

As far as I can tell, there are few if no studies to support or refute any of above theories. As of this post none of the researchers I contacted--who claimed to have researched the origins of EVP or the relationship of EMR to EVP—have responded to my query. I am scratching my head as to what results, if any, they actually found. I’ll let you know if I hear differently.

So I wonder:

What is the origin of EVPs? Can spirits speak in a sound range we cannot hear without technology? Sound is a mechanical wave and can only be produced physically. Ghosts don’t have mouths, voice boxes, lungs or tongues (all involved in making sound). Also, since EVPs are often unheard until playback and ghosts don’t have voice boxes, part of me doubts if EVPs are created by sound at all. Can spirit voices be on an energy frequency that we cannot detect without technology? With so much EMR around us, are we missing out on possible spirit communication? (Thanks to Ghost Lab Radio Podcast for getting me thinking about this.)

Technorati Tags: blonde,evp,ghost,ghost hunter,haunted,investigate,paranormal,paranormal investigator,spirit,supernatural

EVP: Meet the Field Test Team

 

Dar Dar: The Hot Paranormal Investigator

Dar Dar has been working with EVPS for more than six years. She’s developed a keen ear for the things that do not fit the rest of the audio. Often mistaken for Roseanne Barr, Darlene brings humor to any situation.

 

   

 

Heather: The Blond(e) on IR©

Heather worked as a technical and developmental trainer for longer than she’d care to admit. With two Master degrees so far she expects to continue to be a lifelong learner. She’d rather be stuck with a dull pin over and over again than sit through a musical.

 

 

 

 

Daniel: Research Assistant

Daniel, our 15 year old research assistant, has a love for science and eye for detail.  He has always been interested in ghosts. Daniel provides an added layer of review each step of the way.  

 

 

Technorati Tags: blond,ghost,investigator,spirit,EVP,supernatural,paranormal,ghost hunter,orb,assumptions,psience,recorder

EVP: Coming Together!

First a big thank you to my friend, Kathy, for my new little Blonde on IR© mascot.  She’s awesome!

 

 

Oh, I am excited that the EVP experiment is coming together. I should have it up and running in two weeks. I am waiting for my new Faraday cage (the old one is too beat up to ensure reliable results) and the last recorder to arrive.  The next step is a dry run to test the experimental procedures and work out any obstacles.

 

In the mean time I am brainstorming the next project. I have an inkling of an idea how to test paranormal photography. It will be several months before I can afford to pull this idea together.

 

It is my hope that others will copy the experiment and see if they can replicate our results. If so we will be one step closer to tackling the assumption that spirit voices can be captured on audio.

 

I would love to hear from anyone else conducting experiments. What are you doing? How are you doing it? What are the results?

Assumptions: My Rant

Assumptions in paranormal research

I noticed that the majority of paranormal research, especially as it is portrayed on television, follows an assumption based investigation model.  Any fourth grader can tell you what happens when you assume...

Here are a few (overly simplified) assumptions:

• Spikes EMF readings detect ghostly activity.
• Drops in temperature readings detect ghostly activity.
• Mediums can contact ghosts.
• Ghosts are (or were) people too.
• We call out in EVP sessions because ghosts can hear us.
• Ghostly voices can be captured on modern recording equipment.
• Baseline readings measure what is normal without “activity”.
• We love full spectrum photography because activity in the IR and UV ranges is paranormal as opposed to normal.
• Battery drain….

Many take “ass-outta-you-and-me” things a step further:

Knocks on the wall that have no physical explanation must be caused by a ghost—even when no one saw the ghost knock on the wall (assumption 1). That wall-knocking ghost is a dead person (assumption 2).  A former owner of the home died in the home. Therefore, that dead person is the former owner of the home (assumption 3).  That former owner was murdered in the room in which the knocking takes place and is therefore the cause of the knocking (assumption 4).

Really?

Really?

OK so I have exaggerated a little. I just ask you pay attention to the next television show that you watch or the next investigation that you conduct.

Did you assume? Bet you did. Did you acknowledge the assumption before formulating a conclusion? Bet you didn’t.  I know am guilty of it. Is it any wonder paranormal research has made little headway over the years while using the assumption based model.

Guess that makes us figuratively Blond(e) on IR©.

What I need to do right now (and I would love if you do the same) is take a step back and test as many assumptions that means will allow.

I will start with origins of Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVPs).  If we can isolate how EVPs are created, we may be able to trace it back to its source.

And yes, I am a blonde.

Blond(e) on IR©, Blond(e) in IR©, Blond on IR©, Blond in IR©, Blonde on IR©, Blonde in IR©