An investigation into the alleged haunting of Hampton Court Palace: Psyschological variables and magnetic fields - Abstract

Richard Wiseman (*)

Caroline Watt (**)

Emma Greening (*)

Paul Stevens (**)

Ciaran O'Keeffe (*)

ABSTRACT: Hampton Court Palace is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in England, with both staff and visitors reporting unusual phenomena in many areas of the building. This present investigation aimed to discover the extent to which these reports were related to 3 variables often proposed to account for alleged hauntings: belief in ghosts, suggestion, and magnetic fields. Over 600 members of the public took part in the experiment. Participants completed Likert-type questionnaires measuring their belief in ghosts, the unusual phenomena they had experienced in the past, and whether they thought these phenomena were due to ghosts. Participants who believed in ghosts reported significantly more unusual phenomena than disbelievers and were significantly more likely to attribute the phenomena to ghosts. Participants then walked around an allegedly haunted area of the Palace and provided reports about unusual phenomena they experienced. Believers reported significantly more anomalous experiences than did disbelievers and were significantly more likely to indicate that these had been due to a ghost. Prior to visiting the locations, half of the participants were told that the area was associated with a recent increase in unusual phenomena, whereas the others were told the opposite. In line with previous work on the psychology of paranormal belief, the number of unusual experiences reported by participants showed a significant interaction between belief in ghosts and these suggestions. Results also provided partial support of a possible relationship between the locations in which participants reported their experiences and local magnetic fields. Competing interpretations of the data and possible future research are discussed.

(*.) University of Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire, England, UK

(**.) University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

COPYRIGHT 2001 Parapsychology Press
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group