Do paranormal investigations follow the scientific method?

You see many groups out there who claim to be scientific in their approach to the paranormal investigations.  But are they just confusing using technical equipment with using scientific methods?  And with paranormal investigation as long as the client is happy does it really matter?

The scientific method is a specific format for obtaining and reviewing data to answer a question or come to a conclusion.  There are very specific steps that have been used for hundreds of years and allow the investigator to be assured that the results of any experiment will be repeatable.

So, what is the scientific method?  Quite simply it is six very clear steps that anyone should be able to follow:

Step 1.  Ask a question.  All experimentation starts with the question.  In paranormal investigation, the question might be is this location haunted? 

Step 2.  Do background research.  Has this question been asked before?  Has someone already reached a conclusion?  Look at historical examples of similar cases and see what conclusions were drawn from other experiments.

Step 3.  Construct your hypothesis based on your question.  State your hypothesis in a way that is easy to test.  “Client A experiences cold spots whenever her uncle’s name is mentioned.  If we say her uncle’s name three times, the temperature will go down three times as much.”

Step 4.  Test your hypothesis by conducting an experiment.  Remember to repeat your experiment several times to validate the results. 

Step 5.  Analyze the data and come to a conclusion.  How many times were your results repeated?  Were the variables always the same?  In the case of Client A and her uncle’s cold spots, did you say his name at the same time each day?  Were weather conditions exactly the same?  What conclusion can you draw from your results?  Was it only colder on winter nights when the window was open?

Step 6.  Share your results.  Write up a report of your experiment and share it with other paranormal groups.  This is exactly what professional scientists do whenever the publish study results.

If paranormal investigators want to be taken seriously by other scientists, using the scientific method is the first step to gaining acceptance.  It’s a challenge but one that needs to be met head on and with gusto.

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Stephanie Davisson is the president of Puget Sound Ghost Hunters.  She has travelled around the US lecturing on the paranormal and has had the privilege to investigate numerous sites in the US and Europe.

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