Have you ever watched a ghost hunting show or program and wondered what the tools were that the ghost hunters used? Ghost hunters often use recording devices known as EVP recorders. But what is an EVP recorder used for while ghost hunting?
In ghost hunting, EVP recorders are for recording brief sounds known as electronic voice phenomena. These are at first inaudible words or phrases that ghost hunters believe could be messages from spirits. Keep reading to learn about the credibility and effectiveness of these ghost-hunting devices.
Contents
Do the EVP Recorders Give False Readings/Do They Work?
It’s important to note that EVP recorders aren’t exactly scientific instruments. If anything, they are like any other recorder – they pick up sounds, and from there, you can playback the noise. The premise that they will reveal sounds from spirits or paranormal entities is because ghost hunters often overlook their own misperceptions.
In fact, the electronic voice phenomenon is widely viewed now as nothing more than pseudoscience. This means that it is a set of practices or beliefs that are mistakenly regarded as having a scientific method as their basis. Quite literally, pseudoscience beliefs are incompatible with scientific methods.
What happens is that when ghost hunters playback their EVP recordings, they experience “auditory pareidolia’, which is when you interpret random sounds to be voiced in your own language. The keyword here is “interpret”.
So, you can’t really say whether or not an EVP recorder gives “false” or “truthful” readings since they aren’t really giving a reading. The “reading” is all wrapped up in the listener’s perception and is thus subjective.
Most often what is happening is that the listener will have a tendency to perceive a pattern in what they hear, which leads them to think they’re hearing cohesive phrases.
How Do Ghost Hunters Decipher EVP Readings?
It’s also important to note that ghost hunters and/or paranormal investigators don’t have an exact science used for deciphering these recordings. The methodology is usually a matter of using their own perception and coming to a conclusion.
Sometimes, ghost hunters will share the recordings with other investigators to get a second perspective.
The idea is that this will lessen any bias that might occur in the original ghost hunt. However, each listener is going to be as subjective as the next, which means that it’s not a very sound method of testing for ghosts.
Are you looking for an EVP Recorder to arm and use during your ghost hunting escapades? Check out my detailed review on EVP Recorders here.
Pros of Using an EVP Recorder
There are very few pros to using EVP recorders when it comes to the scientific side of things. We’ll get to the downsides of these devices next, but first, take a look at a few potential advantages of EVP recorders.
They’re Entertaining
One obvious pro of EVP recorders is that they can provide entertainment and fun to their users. If you’re strictly using an EVP recorder for a fun little experiment or a chance to get curious about the paranormal, it will do the trick.
You’re not going to come to any conclusions about what you hear, but it may be enjoyable to explore the possibilities within your mind.
They’re Inexpensive
Another pro of using EVP recorders is that they are pretty affordable for laymen. You can buy these devices for as cheap as $20-$30 on marketplaces such as Amazon. For a casual “ghost hunting” experience, it’s pretty easy to get your hands on them.
Cons of Using an EVP Recorder
There are far more cons than pros when it comes to using EVP recorders. From a scientific standpoint, these devices are especially problematic since they don’t rely on any real scientific method other than perspective and opinion.
Bias and Subjectivity
As we mentioned above, there is a tremendous amount of bias and subjectivity that goes into reading an EVP recording. When listening to a recording, a ghost hunter may fall into the trap of hearing what they want to hear.
For example, even if it’s only a subconscious effect, it’s very easy to hear the phrase “go away” in a recording if you already got a “malicious” or “negative” vibe from the setting.
Not Accepted Among Scientists
Another downside to using EVP recorders is that they don’t add a lot of credibility to the paranormal investigation field.
These devices aren’t taken seriously among scientists who largely credit them as being instruments of pseudoscience that are popular in the media. There isn’t really much to base these devices on – no science, no evidence, etc.
Inconclusive Results
Third, using EVP recorders can ultimately lead to inconclusive results at best. You can make conjectures based on what you hear or what you think you hear. You can take notes and study the sounds that get recorded.
You can even write papers on your findings. However, you can’t make any real conclusions about what you hear or what source the sounds are coming from.
In o
Conclusion
Ghost hunters use EVP recorders to pick up sounds that might be otherwise inaudible to the naked ear when ghost hunting. The idea is that you can playback the sounds and hear “messages” from ghosts or entities.
However, these devices rely on user perception and conjecture. Their use can be pseudoscience that should not equate to facts.
Are you looking for an EVP Recorder to arm and use during your ghost hunting escapades? Check out my detailed review on EVP Recorders here.
