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'''Electronic voice phenomena''' (EVP) are sections of [[white noise|static]] on the [[radio]] or other [[electronic]] [[recording]] media that are interpreted by [[paranormal]] adherents to be actual voices speaking words. Some advocates attribute these noises to [[ghosts]] or [[soul|spirits]].<ref>http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/articles/pdf/15.3_baruss.pdf Baruss, ImantsJournal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 355–367, 2001, "Failure to Replicate Electronic Voice Phenomena"</ref>. [[Skeptics]] of the paranormal attribute the voice-like aspect of the sounds to auditory [[pareidolia]], and other well-documented phenomena.<ref name="Wiggins" /> According to [[parapsychology|parapsychologist]] [[Konstantin Raudive]], who popularized the idea,<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.parapsych.org/glossary_e_k.html#e |title=Glossary of Psi |accessdate=2007-11-09 |last= |first= }}</ref> EVP are typically brief, usually the length of a word or short phrase.<ref name="bretf" />
'''Electronic voice phenomena''' (EVP) are sections of [[white noise|static]] on the [[radio]] or other [[electronic]] [[recording]] media that are interpreted by paranormal researchers voices speaking words. Some paranormal researchers attribute these noises to [[ghosts]] or [[soul|spirits]].<ref>http://www.scientificexploration.org/jse/articles/pdf/15.3_baruss.pdf Baruss, ImantsJournal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 355–367, 2001, "Failure to Replicate Electronic Voice Phenomena"</ref>. [[Skeptics]] of the paranormal attribute the voice-like aspect of the sounds to auditory [[pareidolia]], and other well-documented phenomena.<ref name="Wiggins" /> According to [[parapsychology|parapsychologist]] [[Konstantin Raudive]], who popularized the idea,<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.parapsych.org/glossary_e_k.html#e |title=Glossary of Psi |accessdate=2007-11-09 |last= |first= }}</ref> EVP are reported by researchers to be typically brief, usually the length of a word or short phrase.<ref name="bretf" />


Communication by spirits through electronic recording devices has been reported since at least the 1940s. Originally labeled “Raudive Voices”, after Raudive, they were later renamed “electronic voice phenomena”, a term introduced by the publishing company Colin Smythe Ltd in the early 1970s. The explanation that EVP are produced by [[Soul|spirits]] of the deceased was first introduced by American photographer Attila Von Szalay, who believed he recorded the voice of a dead loved one in 1956. Similar claims were made up until the 1970s, notably by psychologists Raymond Bayless and Konstantin Raudive, and film producer Friedrich Jürgenson. In 1980, inventor [[William O'Neill]], backed by industrialist George Meek, built a 'Spiricom' device which was said to facilitate very clear communication with the spirit world through EVP.
Communication by spirits through electronic recording devices has been reported since at least the 1940s. Originally labeled “Raudive Voices”, after Raudive, they were later renamed “electronic voice phenomena”, a term introduced by the publishing company Colin Smythe Ltd in the early 1970s. The explanation that EVP are produced by [[Soul|spirits]] of the deceased was first introduced by American photographer Attila Von Szalay, who believed he recorded the voice of a dead loved one in 1956. This lead to further claims made up until the 1970s, notably by psychologists Raymond Bayless and Konstantin Raudive, and film producer Friedrich Jürgenson. In 1980, inventor [[William O'Neill]], backed by industrialist George Meek, built a 'Spiricom' device which was said to facilitate very clear communication with the spirit world through EVP.


In addition to deceased spirits, various enthusiasts say that EVP could be due to [[psychic]] echoes from the past, [[psychokinesis]] [[unconsciously]] produced by living people, and the thoughts of [[Extra-terrestrial|aliens]]. More prosaic explanations include [[apophenia]] (finding of significance or connections between insignificant or unrelated phenomena), [[pareidolia]] (interpreting random sounds into voices in their own language which might otherwise sound like random noise to a foreign speaker), artifacts due to low-quality equipment, or simple hoaxes.
In addition to deceased spirits, various paranormal researchers say that EVP could be due to [[psychic]] echoes from the past, [[psychokinesis]] [[unconsciously]] produced by living people, and the thoughts of [[Extra-terrestrial|aliens]]. More prosaic explanations include [[apophenia]] (finding of significance or connections between insignificant or unrelated phenomena), [[pareidolia]] (interpreting random sounds into voices in their own language which might otherwise sound like random noise to a foreign speaker), artifacts due to low-quality equipment, or simple hoaxes.


Recording EVP has become a technique of [[paranormal investigator]]s who attempt to contact the [[souls]] of dead loved ones or during [[ghost hunting]] activities. References to EVP have appeared in the [[reality television]] shows "Paranormal State", ''[[Ghost Hunters]]'', the fictional ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' and Hollywood films such as ''[[White Noise (film)|White Noise]]'' and ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''.
EVP has become a tool of [[paranormal investigator]]s, used when attempting to contact the [[souls]] of dead loved ones or during [[ghost hunting]] activities. References to EVP have appeared in the [[reality television]] shows "Paranormal State", ''[[Ghost Hunters]]'', the fictional ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' and Hollywood films such as ''[[White Noise (film)|White Noise]]'' and ''[[The Sixth Sense]]''.


==History==
==History==
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The [[Spiritualism]] [[religious movement]] became prominent in the [[1840s]]–[[1920s]], especially in [[English language|English]]-speaking countries. The movement's distinguishing feature is the belief that the [[spirit]]s of the dead can be contacted by [[medium (spirituality)|medium]]s. The growth of Spiritualism coincided with the development of many new technologies, including [[photography]] and later [[sound recording]], and spiritualists quickly adopted these tools in an effort to demonstrate contact with the dead. Later, portable recording devices and modern digital technologies expanded this effort despite the eventual decline of Spiritualism. Research on using technology in an attempt to demonstrate life after death grew rapidly in the latter part of the 20th century.<ref name="fontana1">{{cite book | last = Fontana | first = David | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Is There an Afterlife: A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence | publisher = O Books | date= 2005 | location = Hants, UK | pages = 352-381 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 1903816904 }}</ref>
The [[Spiritualism]] [[religious movement]] became prominent in the [[1840s]]–[[1920s]], especially in [[English language|English]]-speaking countries. The movement's distinguishing feature is the belief that the [[spirit]]s of the dead can be contacted by [[medium (spirituality)|medium]]s. The growth of Spiritualism coincided with the development of many new technologies, including [[photography]] and later [[sound recording]], and spiritualists quickly adopted these tools in an effort to demonstrate contact with the dead. Later, portable recording devices and modern digital technologies expanded this effort despite the eventual decline of Spiritualism. Research on using technology in an attempt to demonstrate life after death grew rapidly in the latter part of the 20th century.<ref name="fontana1">{{cite book | last = Fontana | first = David | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Is There an Afterlife: A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence | publisher = O Books | date= 2005 | location = Hants, UK | pages = 352-381 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 1903816904 }}</ref>


===Early interest===
===Early interest and research===


American photographer Attila von Szalay was among the first to try recording what he believed to be voices of the dead. He began his attempts in 1941 using a 78 rpm record. It wasn't until 1956, after switching to a reel-to-reel tape recorder, that he believed he was successful.<ref name="Sconce">{{cite book | last = Sconce | first = Jeffrey | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Haunted Media | publisher = Duke University Press | date= 2000 | location = | pages = 84 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 0822325721 }}</ref> Working with Raymond Bayless, von Szalay conducted a number of recording sessions with a custom-made apparatus, consisting of a microphone in an insulated cabinet connected to an external recording device and speaker. Szalay reported finding many sounds on the tape that could not be heard on the speaker at the time of recording, some of which were recorded when there was no one in the cabinet. He believed these sounds to be the voices of discarnate spirits. Among the first recordings believed to be spirit voices were such messages as "This is G!", "Hot dog, Art!", and "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all".<ref name="Sconce" /> Von Szalay and Bayless' work was published by the [[Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research]] in 1959.<ref name="bayless1">Bayless, R (1959), ''Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research'', 53#1, 35 – 38</ref> Bayless later went on to co-author the 1979 book, ''Phone Calls From the Dead''.
American photographer Attila von Szalay was among the first to try recording what he believed to be voices of the dead. He began his attempts in 1941 using a 78 rpm record. It wasn't until 1956, after switching to a reel-to-reel tape recorder, that he believed he was successful.<ref name="Sconce">{{cite book | last = Sconce | first = Jeffrey | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Haunted Media | publisher = Duke University Press | date= 2000 | location = | pages = 84 | url = | doi = | id = ISBN 0822325721 }}</ref> Working with Raymond Bayless, von Szalay conducted a number of recording sessions with a custom-made apparatus, consisting of a microphone in an insulated cabinet connected to an external recording device and speaker. Szalay reported finding many sounds on the tape that could not be heard on the speaker at the time of recording, some of which were recorded when there was no one in the cabinet. He believed these sounds to be the voices of discarnate spirits. Among the first recordings believed to be spirit voices were such messages as "This is G!", "Hot dog, Art!", and "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all".<ref name="Sconce" /> Von Szalay and Bayless' work was published by the [[Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research]] in 1959.<ref name="bayless1">Bayless, R (1959), ''Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research'', 53#1, 35 – 38</ref> Bayless later went on to co-author the 1979 book, ''Phone Calls From the Dead''.
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According to the AA-EVP, [[Soul|spirits]],<ref name="AAevp1">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = About the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena: What is the Survival Hypothesis? | work = | publisher = American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) |date= | url =http://aaevp.com/index.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2006-12-01 }}</ref> cannot communicate verbally with humans, but are able to imprint information on recording media by an unknown method.<ref> {{cite journal|title=Group analyzes paranormal activity|journal=The Collegian|date=Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 |first=Josh|last=Josh Bosack|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref> According to Tom Butler, Director of the AA-EVP, questions have been asked during EVP recording sessions, and the audio recordings made during those sessions have contained utterances properly answering the questions.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://etheric-studies.aaevp.com/best_practices_development/index.php?title=%22EVP_Characteristics%22 |title=EVP Characteristics |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Butler |first=Tom }} Etheric Studies Best Practices Development website, retrieved August 30, 2007</ref>
According to the AA-EVP, [[Soul|spirits]],<ref name="AAevp1">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = About the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena: What is the Survival Hypothesis? | work = | publisher = American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) |date= | url =http://aaevp.com/index.htm | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2006-12-01 }}</ref> cannot communicate verbally with humans, but are able to imprint information on recording media by an unknown method.<ref> {{cite journal|title=Group analyzes paranormal activity|journal=The Collegian|date=Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 |first=Josh|last=Josh Bosack|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref> According to Tom Butler, Director of the AA-EVP, questions have been asked during EVP recording sessions, and the audio recordings made during those sessions have contained utterances properly answering the questions.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://etheric-studies.aaevp.com/best_practices_development/index.php?title=%22EVP_Characteristics%22 |title=EVP Characteristics |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Butler |first=Tom }} Etheric Studies Best Practices Development website, retrieved August 30, 2007</ref>


The question of whether or not audio recordings thought to be EVP are just noise mistaken by an individual listener to be words, or actually form words, has been addressed by paranormal investigators with the use of listening panels. A system of grading EVP as Class A, Class B and Class C has become widely adopted by EVP believers. According to paranormal investigator Todd Bates, Class A example of EVP is a possible utterance that will be heard and understood by the "average listener" without prompting.<ref> {{cite journal|title=Classifying Your Evp|journal=Paranormal News|date= 6/12/2006|first=Todd|last=Bates|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1132|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref>
The question of whether or not audio recordings thought to be EVP are just noise mistaken by an individual listener to be words, or actually form words, has been addressed by paranormal investigators with the use of listening panels. A system of grading EVP as Class A, Class B and Class C has become widely adopted by EVP researchers. According to paranormal investigator Todd Bates, Class A example of EVP is a possible utterance that will be heard and understood by the "average listener" without prompting.<ref> {{cite journal|title=Classifying Your Evp|journal=Paranormal News|date= 6/12/2006|first=Todd|last=Bates|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.asp?ArticleID=1132|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref>


Portable digital voice recorders, which are currently the technology of choice for EVP investigators, are very susceptible to Radio Frequency (RF) contamination. To account for this, EVP believers point out that there have been examples of EVP recorded in RF- and sound-screened rooms.<ref name="Chisholm">{{cite web | last = Chisholm | first = Judith | title = A Short History of EVP | publisher = Psychic World | date = 2000 | url = http://www.psychicworld.net/EVP3.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-03}}</ref><ref> {{cite web|url=http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_bill_weisensale_experiment.htm |title=Eliminating Radio Frequency Contamination for EVP |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Weisensale |first=Bill |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }}</ref> EVP believers say that since these people recorded EVP in screened conditions, the content of the utterance provides sufficient reason to eliminate interference as an explanation.{{fact}} According to EVP believers, EVP also have a logical beginning and end, are appropriate for the circumstances and questions asked, and are typically only a few words- whereas EVP believers think that radio interference would only extend for random lengths of time.<ref name="NoDeath">{{cite book | last = Butler | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = Tom and Lisa Butler | title = There is No Death and There are No Dead | publisher = AA-EVP Publishing | date = 2004 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-9727493-0-6 }}</ref> EVP typically only occur when there is noise in the audio circuits of the device used. believers say that this noise itself is used to produce the EVP.<ref> {{Citation| first=Paolo | last=Presi| coauthors=| contribution=The Work at Il Laboratorio| title=The Work at Il Laboratorio| editor-first=| editor-last=| coeditors=| publisher=| place=| pages=| date=| year=| id= | contribution-url=http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_il_laboratorio.htm| format=| accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref> For this reason, those who attempt to record EVP often use two recorders, such as a digital voice recorder and a video camera. The higher quality audio circuit in a video camera is not as prone to record static, and any sound found on both recorders are usually discarded as being mundane.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://etheric-studies.aaevp.com/best_practices/bp_example.htm |title=Example Proposed Best Practice Using a Second or Control Audio Recorder as a Means of Identifying Mundane Sounds |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Butler |first=Tom |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }}</ref>
Portable digital voice recorders, which are currently the technology of choice for EVP investigators, are very susceptible to Radio Frequency (RF) contamination. To account for this, EVP researchers point out that there have been examples of EVP recorded in RF- and sound-screened rooms.<ref name="Chisholm">{{cite web | last = Chisholm | first = Judith | title = A Short History of EVP | publisher = Psychic World | date = 2000 | url = http://www.psychicworld.net/EVP3.htm | accessdate = 2006-12-03}}</ref><ref> {{cite web|url=http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_bill_weisensale_experiment.htm |title=Eliminating Radio Frequency Contamination for EVP |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Weisensale |first=Bill |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }}</ref> EVP researchers say that since these people recorded EVP in screened conditions, the content of the utterance provides sufficient reason to eliminate interference as an explanation.{{fact}} According to EVP researchers, EVP also have a logical beginning and end, are appropriate for the circumstances and questions asked, and are typically only a few words- whereas EVP researchers think that radio interference would only extend for random lengths of time.<ref name="NoDeath">{{cite book | last = Butler | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = Tom and Lisa Butler | title = There is No Death and There are No Dead | publisher = AA-EVP Publishing | date = 2004 | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 0-9727493-0-6 }}</ref> EVP typically only occur when there is noise in the audio circuits of the device used. Researchers say that this noise itself is used to produce the EVP.<ref> {{Citation| first=Paolo | last=Presi| coauthors=| contribution=The Work at Il Laboratorio| title=The Work at Il Laboratorio| editor-first=| editor-last=| coeditors=| publisher=| place=| pages=| date=| year=| id= | contribution-url=http://aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_il_laboratorio.htm| format=| accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref> For this reason, those who attempt to record EVP often use two recorders, such as a digital voice recorder and a video camera. The higher quality audio circuit in a video camera is not as prone to record static, and any sound found on both recorders are usually discarded as being mundane.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://etheric-studies.aaevp.com/best_practices/bp_example.htm |title=Example Proposed Best Practice Using a Second or Control Audio Recorder as a Means of Identifying Mundane Sounds |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Butler |first=Tom |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }}</ref>


EVP investigator Daniele Gullà believes that EVP have been shown to have characteristics that could not have been sounds formed in a human mouth.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_evp10.htm |title=Computer–Based Analysis of Supposed Paranormal Voice: The Question of Anomalies Detected and Speaker Identification |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Gullà |first=Daniele |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }} Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Biopsychocybernetics Research
EVP investigator Daniele Gullà believes that EVP have been shown to have characteristics that could not have been sounds formed in a human mouth.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.aaevp.com/articles/articles_about_evp10.htm |title=Computer–Based Analysis of Supposed Paranormal Voice: The Question of Anomalies Detected and Speaker Identification |accessdate=2007-09-21 |last=Gullà |first=Daniele |publisher=Website of the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena }} Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Biopsychocybernetics Research
Bologna, Italy</ref> Some EVP believers describe hearing the words in EVP as an ability, much like learning a new language.<ref> {{cite journal|title=You can Hear Dead People|journal=Fate|date=2001-02-01|first=|last=Konstantinos|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=http://www.llewellyn.com/archive/fate/95/|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref>
Bologna, Italy</ref> Some EVP researchers describe hearing the words in EVP as an ability, much like learning a new language.<ref> {{cite journal|title=You can Hear Dead People|journal=Fate|date=2001-02-01|first=|last=Konstantinos|coauthors=|volume=|issue=|pages=|id= |url=http://www.llewellyn.com/archive/fate/95/|format=|accessdate=2007-09-21 }}</ref>


===Psychokinesis===
===Psychokinesis===

Revision as of 17:32, 15 January 2008

Template:Infobox Paranormalterms Electronic voice phenomena (EVP) are sections of static on the radio or other electronic recording media that are interpreted by paranormal researchers voices speaking words. Some paranormal researchers attribute these noises to ghosts or spirits.[1]. Skeptics of the paranormal attribute the voice-like aspect of the sounds to auditory pareidolia, and other well-documented phenomena.[2] According to parapsychologist Konstantin Raudive, who popularized the idea,[3] EVP are reported by researchers to be typically brief, usually the length of a word or short phrase.[4]

Communication by spirits through electronic recording devices has been reported since at least the 1940s. Originally labeled “Raudive Voices”, after Raudive, they were later renamed “electronic voice phenomena”, a term introduced by the publishing company Colin Smythe Ltd in the early 1970s. The explanation that EVP are produced by spirits of the deceased was first introduced by American photographer Attila Von Szalay, who believed he recorded the voice of a dead loved one in 1956. This lead to further claims made up until the 1970s, notably by psychologists Raymond Bayless and Konstantin Raudive, and film producer Friedrich Jürgenson. In 1980, inventor William O'Neill, backed by industrialist George Meek, built a 'Spiricom' device which was said to facilitate very clear communication with the spirit world through EVP.

In addition to deceased spirits, various paranormal researchers say that EVP could be due to psychic echoes from the past, psychokinesis unconsciously produced by living people, and the thoughts of aliens. More prosaic explanations include apophenia (finding of significance or connections between insignificant or unrelated phenomena), pareidolia (interpreting random sounds into voices in their own language which might otherwise sound like random noise to a foreign speaker), artifacts due to low-quality equipment, or simple hoaxes.

EVP has become a tool of paranormal investigators, used when attempting to contact the souls of dead loved ones or during ghost hunting activities. References to EVP have appeared in the reality television shows "Paranormal State", Ghost Hunters, the fictional Supernatural and Hollywood films such as White Noise and The Sixth Sense.

History

The Spiritualism religious movement became prominent in the 1840s–1920s, especially in English-speaking countries. The movement's distinguishing feature is the belief that the spirits of the dead can be contacted by mediums. The growth of Spiritualism coincided with the development of many new technologies, including photography and later sound recording, and spiritualists quickly adopted these tools in an effort to demonstrate contact with the dead. Later, portable recording devices and modern digital technologies expanded this effort despite the eventual decline of Spiritualism. Research on using technology in an attempt to demonstrate life after death grew rapidly in the latter part of the 20th century.[5]

Early interest and research

American photographer Attila von Szalay was among the first to try recording what he believed to be voices of the dead. He began his attempts in 1941 using a 78 rpm record. It wasn't until 1956, after switching to a reel-to-reel tape recorder, that he believed he was successful.[6] Working with Raymond Bayless, von Szalay conducted a number of recording sessions with a custom-made apparatus, consisting of a microphone in an insulated cabinet connected to an external recording device and speaker. Szalay reported finding many sounds on the tape that could not be heard on the speaker at the time of recording, some of which were recorded when there was no one in the cabinet. He believed these sounds to be the voices of discarnate spirits. Among the first recordings believed to be spirit voices were such messages as "This is G!", "Hot dog, Art!", and "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all".[6] Von Szalay and Bayless' work was published by the Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research in 1959.[7] Bayless later went on to co-author the 1979 book, Phone Calls From the Dead.

In 1959, Swedish painter and film producer Friedrich Jürgenson was recording bird songs. Upon playing the tape later, he heard what he interpreted to be his dead father's voice and then the spirit of his deceased wife calling his name.[6] He went on to make several more recordings, including one that he said contained a message from his late mother.[8]

Raudive voices

Konstantin Raudive, a Latvian psychologist who had taught at the University of Uppsala, Sweden and who had worked in conjunction with Jürgenson, made over 100,000 recordings which he described as being communications with discarnate people. Some of these recordings were conducted in a RF-screened laboratory and contained identifiable words according to Raudive.[5][4] In an attempt to confirm the content of his collection of recordings, Raudive invited listeners to hear and interpret them.[5][9][10][11][12] He believed that the clarity of the voices heard in his recordings implied that they could not be readily explained by normal means.[5] Raudive's research was formally published into his first book, "Breakthrough - An Amazing Experiment in Electronic Communication with the Dead" originally released in 1968 and translated into English in 1971.[13]

Spiricom

In 1980, William O'Neil constructed an electronic audio device called "The Spiricom". O'Neil claimed the device was built to specifications which he received psychically from George Mueller, a scientist who had died six years previously.[14][5] At a Washington, DC, press conference on April 6, 1982, O'Neil stated that he was able to hold two-way conversations with spirits through the Spiricom device, and provided the design specifications to researchers for free. However, nobody is known to have replicated O'Neil's results using their own Spiricom devices.[15][16] O'Neil's partner, retired industrialist George Meek, attributed O'Neil's success, and the inability of others to replicate it, to O'Neil's psychic abilities forming part of the loop that made the system work.[14][17]

Sound
info help
An audio sample recorded at the Thunderbird Lodge on the east shore of Lake Tahoe by the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena, who say it is an example of EVP.

Modern era (1980s-present)

In 1982, Sarah Estep founded the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP) in Severna Park, Maryland, a nonprofit organization with the purpose of increasing awareness of EVP, and of teaching standardized methods for capturing it. Estep began her exploration of EVP in 1976, and says she has made hundreds of recordings of messages from deceased friends, relatives, and other individuals, including Konstantin Raudive, Beethoven, a lamplighter from 18th century Philadelphia, PA, and extraterrestrials whom she speculated originated from other planets or dimensions.

In 1997, Imants Barušs, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, conducted a series of experiments using the methods of EVP investigator Konstantin Raudive, and the work of instrumental transcommunication researcher Mark Macy, as a guide. A radio was tuned to an empty frequency, and over 81 sessions a total of 60 hours and 11 minutes of recordings were collected. During recordings, a researcher either sat in silence or attempted to make verbal contact with potential sources of EVP.[14] Barušs did record several events that sounded like voices, but they were too few and too random to represent viable data and too open to interpretation to be described definitively as EVP. He concluded: "While we did replicate EVP in the weak sense of finding voices on audio tapes, none of the phenomena found in our study was clearly anomalous, let alone attributable to discarnate beings. Hence we have failed to replicate EVP in the strong sense." The findings were published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration in 2001, and include a literature survey.[14]

In 2005 the Journal of the Society for Psychical Research published a report by paranormal investigator Alexander MacRae. MacRae conducted recording sessions using a device of his own design known as ALPHA.[18] MacRae reported that ALPHA is able to convert electrodermal responses into noise, which is then examined for EVP. In an attempt to demonstrate that different individuals would interpret EVP in the recordings the same way, MacRae asked seven people to compare some selections to a list of five phrases he provided, and to choose the best match. MacRae said his results indicated that the selections were not a form of Rorschach audio, but were of paranormal origin.[19][9][20]

Paranormal explanations

Various explanations have been put forward for EVP by those who believe it to be an example of a paranormal phenomenon.[21][19] These include:

Discarnate entities

According to the AA-EVP, spirits,[22] cannot communicate verbally with humans, but are able to imprint information on recording media by an unknown method.[23] According to Tom Butler, Director of the AA-EVP, questions have been asked during EVP recording sessions, and the audio recordings made during those sessions have contained utterances properly answering the questions.[24]

The question of whether or not audio recordings thought to be EVP are just noise mistaken by an individual listener to be words, or actually form words, has been addressed by paranormal investigators with the use of listening panels. A system of grading EVP as Class A, Class B and Class C has become widely adopted by EVP researchers. According to paranormal investigator Todd Bates, Class A example of EVP is a possible utterance that will be heard and understood by the "average listener" without prompting.[25]

Portable digital voice recorders, which are currently the technology of choice for EVP investigators, are very susceptible to Radio Frequency (RF) contamination. To account for this, EVP researchers point out that there have been examples of EVP recorded in RF- and sound-screened rooms.[26][27] EVP researchers say that since these people recorded EVP in screened conditions, the content of the utterance provides sufficient reason to eliminate interference as an explanation.[citation needed] According to EVP researchers, EVP also have a logical beginning and end, are appropriate for the circumstances and questions asked, and are typically only a few words- whereas EVP researchers think that radio interference would only extend for random lengths of time.[28] EVP typically only occur when there is noise in the audio circuits of the device used. Researchers say that this noise itself is used to produce the EVP.[29] For this reason, those who attempt to record EVP often use two recorders, such as a digital voice recorder and a video camera. The higher quality audio circuit in a video camera is not as prone to record static, and any sound found on both recorders are usually discarded as being mundane.[30]

EVP investigator Daniele Gullà believes that EVP have been shown to have characteristics that could not have been sounds formed in a human mouth.[31] Some EVP researchers describe hearing the words in EVP as an ability, much like learning a new language.[32]

Psychokinesis

According to this explanation, communications might be imprinted directly on an electronic medium by a living human, through an unknown form of matter/energy manipulation.[33] Tom Butler says they he has received messages from people who are asleep.[34]

Extraterrestrial entities

Sarah Estep say that some EVP may be caused by nature energies, beings from other dimensions, or extraterrestrials.[35]

Mainstream explanations

Mainstream science has generally ignored EVP, but there are a number of non-paranormal explanations, which account for EVP by such mechanisms as radio interference or the tendency of the human brain to recognize patterns in random stimuli.[36] These include:

Interference

Certain recordings, especially those recorded on devices which contain RLC circuitry, represent radio signals of voices/sounds from broadcast sources.[37] Interference from CB Radio transmissions and wireless baby minders, or anomalies generated though cross modulation from other electronic devices, are all documented phenomena.[36] It is even possible for circuits to resonate without any internal power source by means of radio reception.[37]

Auditory paredolia

Auditory pareidolia or Rorschach Audio is a condition created when the brain incorrectly interprets random patterns as being familiar patterns.[38] In the case of EVP it could result in an observer interpreting random noise on an audio recording as being the familiar sound of a human voice.[36][39] The propensity for an apparent voice heard in white noise recordings to be in a language understood well by those researching it, rather than in an unfamiliar language, has been cited as evidence of this[36], and a broad class of phenomena referred to by author Joe Banks as Rorschach Audio has been described as a global explanation for all manifestations of EVP.[40] [41] [42] [43]

Skeptics such as David Federlein, Chris French, Terrence Hines and Michael Shermer say that some EVP are recorded by raising the "noise floor" - the electrical noise created by all electrical devices - in order to create white noise. When this noise is filtered, it can be made to produce noises which sound like speech. Federlein says that this is no different from using a wah pedal on a guitar, which is a focused sweep filter which moves around the spectrum and creates open vowel sounds. This, according to Federlein, sounds exactly like some EVP. This, in combination with such things as cross modulation of radio stations or faulty ground loops can cause the impression of paranormal voices.[44] The human brain evolved to recognize patterns, and if a person listens to enough noise the brain will detect words, even when there is no intelligent source for them.[45][46] Expectation also plays an important part in making people believe they are hearing voices in random noise.[47]

Apophenia

Apophenia is related to, but distinct from pareidolia.[48] Apophenia is defined as "the spontaneous finding of connections or meaning in things which are random, unconnected or meaningless", has also been put forward as a possible explanation.[49]

Capture errors

Capture errors are anomalies created by the method used to capture audio signals, such as noise generated through the over-amplification of a signal at the point of recording.[36][50]

Processing artifacts

Artifacts created during attempts to boost the clarity of an existing recording might explain some EVP. Methods include re-sampling, frequency isolation, and noise reduction/enhancement, which might cause recordings to take on qualities significantly different from those that were present in the original recording.[51][36]

Hoaxes

A percentage of recordings may be hoaxes created by frauds or pranksters.[36]

Instrumental transcommunication

Instrumental transcommunication (ITC) is a more general term than EVP and refers to communication between spirits or other discarnate entities and the living, through any sort of electronic device such as tape recorders, fax machines, television sets or computers. ITC include visual and other anomalies, rather than only auditory effects.[14] The term was coined by physicist Professor Ernst Senkowski, of the Faculty of Engineering in University of Mainz, Germany. [52] Instrumental transcommunication has gained no notability within the scientific community, and is not accepted within science.

According to Claus Schreiber, an instance of ITC occurred at 13:22 on October 21, 1987 in which the image of EVP researcher Friedrich Jürgenson (whose funeral was held that day) appeared on a television in the home of a colleague, which had been purposefully tuned to a vacant channel. [14]. It is claimed that similar effects can be achieved using a TV and video camera via the Droste effect. This involves aiming a video camera at the television and feeding the output of the camera back into the TV, in order to achieve a feedback loop.[53]

Skeptics say that there is not enough evidence to conclude scientifically that ITC is of paranormal origin. [54]

Cultural impact

The concept of EVP has had a wide impact in popular culture. It is popular as an entertaining pursuit, as in ghost hunting, and as a means of dealing with grief. It has influenced literature, radio, film and television.

Paranormal groups and ghost hunting

Investigation of EVP is the subject of hundreds of Internet message boards, regional, and national groups.[55][56] According to paranormal researcher John Zaffis, "There's been a boom in ghost hunting ever since the Internet took off." Investigators, equipped with electronic gear such as EMF meters, video cameras and audio recorders, scour reportedly haunted venues, trying to uncover visual and audio evidence of hauntings. Many use portable recording devices in an attempt to capture EVP.[55]

Radio, film and television

  • The Sixth Sense, a 1999 film starring Bruce Willis. The main character, a psychologist, realizes that audiotapes of his former patient interviews include the voices of dead people, who have been haunting the patient.
  • Ghost Whisperer, 2005 TV series. In the episode "Voices", a dead woman tries to reach her son using EVP.
  • Supernatural, a TV series launched in 2005 which draws from many legends and paranormal phenomena, frequently uses EVP as a plot device.
  • White Noise, a 2005 film starring Michael Keaton, focuses exclusively on the phenomenon of EVP and the main character's attempts to contact his recently deceased wife through it. The filmmakers assert at the end of the film that 1 in 12 EVP messages received is threatening in nature, a figure disputed by many in the field.[57]
  • Coast To Coast AM hosts George Noory and Art Bell have explored the topic of EVP with featured guests such as Brendan Cook and Barbara McBeath of the Ghost Investigators Society, and paranormal investigator and demonologist Lou Gentile.[58][59]
  • The SciFi Channel's Ghost Hunters TV series often features EVP as part of investigations conducted by Atlantic Paranormal Society members.[60]
  • The Spirit of John Lennon, a pay-per-view seance broadcast in 2006, in which TV crew members, a psychic, and an "expert in paranormal activity" claim the spirit of former Beatle John Lennon made contact with them through what was described as "an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP)".[61]
  • Electronic Voice Phenomenon is the title of a 2007 release by post-punk band Glass.

Literature

  • Legion, a 1983 novel by William Peter Blatty. Written as a sequel to his 1971 novel The Exorcist, Legion contains a subplot where Dr. Vincent Amfortas, a terminally-ill neurologist, leaves a "to-be-opened-upon-my-death" letter for Lt. Kinderman detailing his accounts of contact with the dead, including the Dr's recently deceased wife, Ann, through EVP recordings. Amfortas' character and the EVP subplot do not appear in the film version of the novel, Exorcist III.
  • Pattern Recognition, 2003 novel by William Gibson. The main character's mother tries to convince her that her father is communicating with her from recordings after his death/disappearance in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Organizations

There are a number of organizations dedicated to studying EVP and instrumental transcommunication. Individuals within these organizations may participate in investigations, author books or journal articles, deliver presentations, and hold conferences where they share experiences.[62] In addition organizations exist which dispute the validity of the phenomena on scientific grounds.

The American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP)[63] The AA-EVP averages around 500 members in 47 USA states and 22 countries including the USA (current: 2007)."[64] and the International Ghost Hunters Society, conduct ongoing research work into EVP and ITC including collecting examples of purported EVP available over the internet.[65]. The Rorschach Audio Project, initiated by sound artist Joe Banks, [66][67][68][69] which presents EVP as a product of radio interference combined with auditory pareidolia and the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for Biopsychocybernetics Research, a non-profit organization dedicated studying anomalous psi phenomena related to neurophysiological conditions.[70] According to the AA-EVP, it is "the only organized group of researchers we know of specializing in the study of ITC."[71].

Spiritualists, as well as others who believe in Survivalism, have an ongoing interest in EVP.[72] Many Spiritualists believe that communication with the dead is a scientifically proven fact, and experiment with a variety of techniques for spirit communication which they believe provide evidence of the continuation of life.[73] According to the National Spiritualist Association of Churches, "An important modern day development in mediumship is spirit communications via an electronic device. This is most commonly known as Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP)".[74] An informal survey by the organization's Department Of Phenomenal Evidence cites that 1/3 of churches conduct sessions in which participants seek to communicate with spirit entities using EVP.[75]

See also

References

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Further reading

'Voices from Paradise: How the Dead Speak to Us', Judith Chisholm, Jon Carpenter Publishing, (2000). ISBN 1897766599

  • Is There an Afterlife: A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence, David Fontana, O Books (2005) ISBN 1903816904
  • Voices of Eternity, Sarah Estep, Fawcett (1988) ISBN 0449134245
  • Electronic Voice Phenomenon: the Cinderella Science, by Gerry Connelly, Domra (2001) ISBN 0952441748
  • There is No Death And There are No Dead, by Tom & Lisa Butler, AA-EVP (2003) ISBN 0972749306
  • Roads to Eternity, by Sarah Estep, Fawcett (2005) ISBN 1931942234
  • "Electronic Voice Phenomenon" in The Skeptic's Dictionary, by Robert Todd Carroll , Wiley (2003) ISBN 0471272426
  • Experimenting With "EVP", by Scipios, The Skeptic Express (2006)
  • Thomas Knoefel, Occult Voices. In: The Message. Art and Occultism. With an Essay by André Breton. Ed. by Claudia Dichter, Hans Günter Golinski, Michael Krajewski, Susanne Zander. Kunstmusem Bochum. Walther König: Köln 2007, p. 186-191. ISBN 978-3-86560-342-5.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Electronic_voice_phenomenon&oldid=184520544"