Studies on the supernatural

DUE to the lack of concrete evidence, sceptics tend to put down accounts of hauntings to the workings of an overactive imagination.

But what if one chose to look into these claims based on logical reasoning?

Welcome to the field of parapsychology, where so-called paranormal phenomena is investigated by using scientific methods.

While it is worth noting that these researchers are a far cry from the "ghost-hunters" seen on television, parapsychology has routinely come under criticism for being a pseudo-science.

A senior lecturer at the Koestler Parapsychology Unit (KPU) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Dr Caroline Watt feels that her fellow scientists should not be so quick to judge.

"Parapsychologists are studying the subject and testing hypotheses in a carefully controlled and scientific manner," she says in an e-mail interview.

"I think those who have bothered to take the time to read the research literature in parapsychology are pleasantly surprised to find that the methodology is quite sophisticated."

However, she admits that one of the area's weaknesses is that it lacks a well-established theory to help guide research questions.

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