Paranormal belief, infrasound, transliminality and anomalous perceptions

Ashurst, A (2015) Paranormal belief, infrasound, transliminality and anomalous perceptions. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The present study investigated whether level of paranormal belief and transliminality, and the use of suggestion and infrasound, had an effect on participants’ expectations of the likelihood of paranormal phenomena and associated emotions. Participants were provided with a short written history of the building with either the suggestion that the building was haunted or that is was no simply disused. They then watched a short video walkthrough of the building and were then required to answer a series of questionnaires (Revised Paranormal Belief Scale; Exploring and Visiting; Environmental Perceptions and Phenomena; Opinions and Previous Experiences; Revised Transliminality Scale). Half of the participants were subject to a low level of infrasound played into the experiment room via equipment set up in an adjacent room. Results showed no significant effects for suggestion or infrasound, however, level of paranormal belief did show a significant effect on all scales. Paranormal belief is also shown to be a reliable predictor, whereas transliminality does not. Suggestions for future research are also discussed.