What can science reveal about anomalous voices?

July 8, 3:13 PMParanormal News ExaminerRoger Marsh

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Rhine Research Center, Durham, North Carolina

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The question of what science can reveal to us about anomalous voice will be covered in a panel discussion by prominent researchers who study the electronic voice phenomenon (EVP) at the Rhine Research Center.

This Sunday, July 12, 4-5:30 p.m. EST event at the Center's Durham, NC, facility is being offered as a teleconference so interested listeners around the country can easily join in.

Of all of the data that paranormal investigators collect, Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) -- audio recordings of voices that were not heard at the time that they were recorded -- provide perhaps the most provocative and controversial evidence of activity in supposedly haunted locations. Although some investigators claim that EVP are the voices of unseen entities, critics say that they result from mundane sources such as radio transmissions or the tendency of the brain to create patterns from random sounds. A panel of three research scientists (Mark Leary, John Palmer, and Graham Watkins) and two highly experienced paranormal investigators (George Mathis and Jim Hall) will discuss what we presently know about EVP and the degree to which scientific research can address questions regarding the source and nature of Electronic Voice Phenomena.

Here's the speaker line-up.

Mark Leary, Ph.D., is a social and personality psychologist who has held faculty positions at Denison University, the University of Texas, Wake Forest University, and Duke University.

He is the author of 11 books and nearly 200 scientific articles and chapters on topics related to social behavior and emotions.

He also has interests in philosophy of science, research design, and quantitative analysis and is involved in efforts to promote critical and scientific thinking among the public.

Dr. John Palmer, Ph.D., was on the staff of the Rhine Research Center (formerly Foundation of Research on the Nature of Man) from 1984 to 2004, serving as both the Director of Education and Director of Research.

He has been Editor of the Journal of Parapsychology since 1994 and was President of the Parapsychological Association in 1979 and 1992.

His research has focused primarily on psychological factors associated with ESP performance in the laboratory.

He has published numerous research articles and is co-author of the book Foundations of Parapsychology.

Graham Watkins attended the University of Kentucky and did graduate studies at Duke University, majoring in Zoology.

In the early 1970s, he was a research associate at the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man at the time that J. B. Rhine was the director. He is best known for the mouse-ether studies, which demonstrated the ability of "talented" subjects to cause mice to recover from ether anesthesia faster than they normally would.

He has also worked in the fields of toxicology and electronics and is a published writer of both fiction and non-fiction.

George Matthis is president of the National Society for Paranormal Investigation and Research (NSPIR), a non-profit organization dedicated to paranormal investigation, research, and education. As part of its mission to educate the public about the paranormal and to promote ethical, science-based investigations, NSPIR sponsors the Carolina Hauntings, Apparitions, and Poltergeists Society (CHAPS) to educate the public regarding paranormal investigations. George is also president of the Paranormal Resource Alliance, which is dedicated to promoting adherence to a code of ethics and standards among paranormal investigators and providing resources for paranormal groups.

Jim Hall is a science teacher and director of Haunted North Carolina, which has investigated hundreds of cases of paranormal activity since it was founded (as Seven Paranormal Research) in 1992. Jim has over 20 years of experience in paranormal investigations, which he approaches with a critical mindset, insisting that rational explanations be thoroughly considered before turning to paranormal ones. Jim is vice-president of the Paranormal Research Alliance and is regularly sought by the media for his expertise regarding the paranormal.

The cost is $10 for Rhine members and $15 for non-members. You can purchase your tickets in advance here.