|
Paranormal witnesses: a user guide |
|
|
|
Paranormal witnesses Paranormal phenomena are reported by people. Machines can sometimes record unusual events but it is people that interpret them as paranormal. The paranormal is, essentially, something that happens to humans! Witness testimony is, therefore, central to understanding the paranormal. Just as instruments need to be understood (particularly their limitations) before we can interpret their readings, so we also need to understand witnesses. Testimony cannot simply be assumed to be accurate however much witnesses believe it. We are all subject to misperceptions and even occasional hallucinations. |
|
People as recorders Neuroscience is showing us that what people experience is a subtle combination of the input of our senses and our imagination, beliefs and experience. Different people can literally experience the world in different ways. It is important to realise that we are not simply neutral recorders of the world we walk through. Here are some articles explaining some of the limitations of witness testimony, particularly with regard to paranormal phenomena: |
Mind tricks Perception is not simply a function of our senses, as many people assume. In fact, the brain plays a bigger role than senses in determining what we experience. Here are some articles about how the mind can produce, in certain circumstances, experiences that appear to be paranormal when they are not: © Maurice Townsend 2008 |
