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Where Is the Science in EVP? 71

Where Is the Science in

Electronic Voice

Phenomena?

By Everett A Themer

It is hard to turn on the television today without
coming across a program about ghosts and the
paranormal. These shows might shine an
entertaining light on the unknown, but they are
often more about their cast of characters and
investigators than the science of
parapsychology.
Since the 1920s, when Thomas Edison
hinted that he might have attempted to build a
“ghost machine” to communicate with the dead,
some have tried to apply a scientific method to
proving the existence of life after death. So far means that the recordings need to be sped up or TVs, baby monitors, walkie talkies, shortwave
this has been unsuccessful, and to this day every slowed down to hear any responses. transmitters, etc., it isn't strange that unexpected
group of investigators, both amateur and Some investigators began processing voices should be heard now and then on our
professional, has their own set of protocols as to their recordings so much that to an independent electronic equipment. I've picked up CB
what is or is not considered paranormal (see listener it might be impossible to tell the transmissions on my VCR and my neighbor's
Sharon Hill’s “Amateur Paranormal Research difference between a response and ambient voice from her cordless phone on a baby
and Investigation Groups Doing ‘Sciencey’ noise manipulated and processed into sounding monitor. Some of the "voices" are most likely
Things,” SI, March/April 2012). like intelligent communication. At the other end people creating meaning out of random noise, a
With no universally accepted methods of of the EVP spectrum are recordings of kind of auditory pareidolia or apophenia. And
investigating the paranormal, the beliefs of investigators asking questions and the responses now that the phenomenon has a number of
investigators can greatly influence the outcomes that they get are so obvious and clear without devoted followers (thanks in part to the movie
of their own investigations. Some investigators any processing that the recordings are either "White Noise"), some hoaxers have probably
believe removing objects from a location will intentional hoaxes or definitive proof of life entered the fray.
end a possible haunting. Others use objects to after death. Psychologist Jim Alcock explains why
capture spirits, and psychic investigators believe In its current form, the recording of many people believe in EVP.
spirits can be blessed or cast away. None of electronic voice phenomena is more of an art Perception is a very complex process,
these methods have been scientifically proven, than a science. With no accepted protocols, and when our brains try to find patterns, they
yet every investigator claims that the method results are often vague and left to personal are guided in part by what we expect to hear. If
they use is successful. interpretation. Why would some spirits you are trying to hear your friend while
In pursuit of scientifically verifiable communicate on different frequencies and at conversing in a noisy room, your brain
evidence, tools of all types have been employed. different speeds while other spirits are able to automatically takes snippets of sound and
Many theories about detecting paranormal give a response that sounds almost as if they are compares them against possible corresponding
activity have been tested using everything from standing in front of the recorder? Scientifically it words, and guided by context, we can often
dowsing rods to Geiger counters. While the stands to reason that spirits would respond one “hear” more clearly than the sound patterns
evidence they provide is scientifically debated, way or the other and that method would be reaching our ears could account for. Indeed, it is
some tools such as audio recorders have become universal within the spirit world. relatively easy to demonstrate in a psychology
popular mainstays of the paranormal What happens after we die may be an laboratory that people can readily come to hear
investigator. unanswerable question, but as the interest in “clearly” even very muffled voices, so long as
The art of recording EVPs, or electronic parapsychology grows it is time for both they have a printed version in front of them that
voice phenomena, is one of the most widely believers and skeptics to look at the field and tells them what words are being spoken. The
accepted methods of collecting evidence. begin to adapt some universal protocols for its brain puts together the visual cue and the
Originally, a portable tape recorder was used to study. Until these are created, real evidence and auditory input, and we actually “hear” what we
record an investigator asking a series of data are going to get lost in a soup of frauds, are informed is being said, even though without
questions and waiting for responses in the natural phenomena, and poor science. [] that information, we could discern nothing.
silence following each question. After the EVP Going one step further, and we can demonstrate
session, the tape was played back and that people can clearly “hear” voices and words
investigators listened for intelligent and relevant Electronic Voice not just in the context of muddled voices, but in
responses caught on the tape but not audible to a pattern of white noise, a pattern in which there
the ear at the time. The theory is that spirits do Phenomenon (EVP) are no voices or words at all.
not have enough energy to create sounds audible Given that we can routinely demonstrate
to the human ear but can leave impressions on this effect, it is only parsimonious to suggest that
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the tape. what people hear with EVP is also the product of
As technology advanced, digital their own brains, and their expectations, rather
His results were published in 2001 in the Journal
recorders replaced tape recorders, and than the voices of the dearly departed.
of Scientific Exploration. Barušs concluded that
investigators began processing the recordings Despite widespread belief in EVP,
"none of the phenomena found...was clearly
through computer programs and filters. Using scientists have shown about as much interest in
anomalous, let alone attributable to discarnate
these filters, background noise could be the phenomenon as they have in John Oates's
beings."
eliminated and frequencies isolated. reverse speech theory, and probably for the same
While it is impossible to prove that all
Hypothetically this made it easier to hear the reason. We already understand priming and the
EVPs are due to natural phenomena, skeptics
spirit voices. Lacking any scientific protocol, power of suggestion. Alcock says, the simplest
maintain that they are probably due to such
some investigators began manipulating the explanation for EVP is that it is the product of
things as interference from a nearby CB
speed of the recordings. Their belief is that our own wonderfully complex brain, aided by
operator, cross modulation, or ionospheric
ghosts exist on a different dimensional plane the strong emotional desire to make contact with
than the living and would communicate in a ducting. Given all the voices being transmitted the dead.
these days by cell phones, AM and FM radios,
different frequency range. In their opinion this (Continued on Page 72)