Stone Tape
Encyclopedia
The Stone Tape theory is a paranormal
hypothesis
that was proposed in the 1970s as a possible explanation for ghosts. It speculates that inanimate materials can absorb some form of energy from living beings; the hypothesis speculates that this "recording" happens especially during moments of high tension, such as murder, or during intense moments of someone's life. This stored energy can be released, resulting in a display of the recorded activity. According to this hypothesis, ghosts are not spirits but simply non-interactive recordings similar to a movie. Paranormal investigators
commonly consider such phenomena as residual haunting
s.
, or the ability to transmit the signals to the brain and reduce the meaningless noise. An experiment was conducted to test how different levels of dopamine affects the perceptions of paranormal believers and skeptics. The subjects were divided into two groups, skeptics and believers. Within each of the two groups, half of the participants received levodopa, which increases the dopamine level, and the other half were the control group and received placebos. Each subject was required to respond to sound stimuli and respond whether there was any meaning or signals in the sound. The experiment yields that the baseline dopamine level may have an affect on whether a person is a believer or a skeptic. Medium to high doses of dopamine is correlated with a decline of cognitive performance. Low to medium doses is correlated with improvement of cognitive performances.
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
hypothesis
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. The term derives from the Greek, ὑποτιθέναι – hypotithenai meaning "to put under" or "to suppose". For a hypothesis to be put forward as a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it...
that was proposed in the 1970s as a possible explanation for ghosts. It speculates that inanimate materials can absorb some form of energy from living beings; the hypothesis speculates that this "recording" happens especially during moments of high tension, such as murder, or during intense moments of someone's life. This stored energy can be released, resulting in a display of the recorded activity. According to this hypothesis, ghosts are not spirits but simply non-interactive recordings similar to a movie. Paranormal investigators
Paranormal Investigators
Paranormal Investigators could refer to one of several things:* Paranormal Investigators, a television series broadcast by C31 Melbourne, Australia* Paranormal Investigators, a 2010 horror filmSee also:...
commonly consider such phenomena as residual haunting
Residual haunting
In the terminology of ghost hunting, residual hauntings, also known as restligeists , are repeated playbacks of auditory, visual, olfactory, and other sensory phenomena that are attributed to a traumatic event, life-altering event, or a routine event of a person or place, like an echo or a replay...
s.
Pottery Hoax
Belgian researchers claimed to have discovered sound waves from the grooves of an ancient 6,500 year old pottery. The sound waves included talking and laughter. The voices in ancient Latin language provoked the Linguists’ attention. Unfortunately, the case turns out to be a hoax. When the report was claimed, an independent scholar, Richard G. Woodbridge, analyzed the sound play back and concluded it to be the humming of the pottery wheel. Television shows referred to the case and incorporated it to the story lines. An episode of X-Files was about a bowl that contains the voice of Jesus, when Lazarus was raised from the dead. The Crime Scene Investigation episode showed that voices were recovered from pot made by a mental patient..Criticism
No scientist has proposed a mechanical explanation for this theory. What kind of energy might be involved and how such "playbacks" are triggered are unknown, rendering the theory completely untestable. Some proponents argue that a specific state of brainwaves is necessary to experience a playback, while others claim that the "viewing" person needs some psychic ability.Cultural Biases
Cultural biases and experience determines how individual’s perception. For Yolngu culture, the photos of the deceased are believed to have the ability to attract malevolent forces. Photo “takes your mind back” to the past. In a specific case, a guest worker took a photo in a garden. A man’s head appeared in the image. All the workers interpreted that the man was the garden’s owner’s ancestor. None was convinced when Halvaksz suggested that this was a photographic error.Levels of Dopamine
High level of dopamine is suggested to improve the Signal-to-noise ratioSignal-to-noise ratio
Signal-to-noise ratio is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise. It is defined as the ratio of signal power to the noise power. A ratio higher than 1:1 indicates more signal than noise...
, or the ability to transmit the signals to the brain and reduce the meaningless noise. An experiment was conducted to test how different levels of dopamine affects the perceptions of paranormal believers and skeptics. The subjects were divided into two groups, skeptics and believers. Within each of the two groups, half of the participants received levodopa, which increases the dopamine level, and the other half were the control group and received placebos. Each subject was required to respond to sound stimuli and respond whether there was any meaning or signals in the sound. The experiment yields that the baseline dopamine level may have an affect on whether a person is a believer or a skeptic. Medium to high doses of dopamine is correlated with a decline of cognitive performance. Low to medium doses is correlated with improvement of cognitive performances.