PARANORMAL?SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH GROUPS?
Many paranormal groups out there assert that they are scientific research orientated or are scientific in their methodologies. From a layman?s standpoint, most who claim this seem well intentioned and do believe that they are performing some form of scientific research. However, unless under the guidance of a research level scientist, many groups out there are not conducting accepted scientific research level work. (at least not the arena of hardcore mathematical based physics.) Breaking down scientific research into applicable arenas, there are several areas where paranormal research groups might fit into, caveat being with the right guidance and support. Those are the major fields of Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, and Physics. Of these fields the ones that are most likely to provide a scientific explanations for paranormal activity would be under the sub arenas of electrical and quantum physics. However for paranormal groups to put forth credible research in the arena of physics that main stream professionals in the scientific community would take the time to peer review; you would have to be affiliated with an higher academic level scientist and possibly the need of sponsorship by a well-known private research group or academic institution.
With that said, there are groups out there that are impressive with their academic understanding of physics, application of mathematics, development of research tools and usage appropriate scientific research methods; to the point where I would dare say they could very well be conducting credible scientific research already. Sadly however, aside from a bunch of electronic voice phenomena being posted, I do not see many of these groups openly posting research methods or data. Some require you buy their book or DVD about the subject, just to get access to that. That furthers the stigma of our overall efforts being tainted by commercialism and exploitation.
Even though, it is almost impossible for the average person to conduct hardcore, mathematically supported scientific research in the arena of physic; many groups can still collect relevant data that is especially useful in the arenas of sociology and anthropology. This can be done through the simple act of accurately and non-biasedly documenting accounts and interactions of people in the throes of paranormal events. Most groups already do this by recording and video documenting their investigations and experiments. Once this is done one can start breaking down the actions, accounts and events into raw data and then finding correlations and supportive evidence.
Is then ok for Paranormal Groups to call themselves Research Groups? Under certain conditions and understanding, I think it is perfectly logical to apply the label research group to a paranormal investigations agency. But let?s get that label into context.
Example my group TTF-Paranormal Research is a sociological/anthropological research group. As I have a background & degree with a minor in sociology, we collect accounts of others and focus on looking for correlations in that subset of data. We collect electronic voice phenomena, as correlative subgrouping of data, to be used anecdotally in qualitative research. We take this approach in our efforts, because when it comes to the mathematical physics end of it. To conduct accurate quantitative evidence collection, we do not have the resources or background to be taken seriously. We do however try to collect as much physical evidence as possible for real physicists-scientists may want to look at it someday.
So back to the focus of this article, are there scientific paranormal research groups out there? Yes there are. However there are a lot of groups out there that might not know what arena of science they are in.
?Admin MNPARA 2012
DEFINITIONS ? BRANCHES OF APPLICABLE SCIENCE:
ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology: is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from the social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. A central concern of anthropologists is the application of knowledge to the solution of human problems. Historically, anthropologists in the United States have been trained in one of four areas: sociocultural anthropology, biological/physical anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics. Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their research, teaching, and professional lives.
Sociocultural Anthropology: Sociocultural anthropologists examine social patterns and practices across cultures, with a special interest in how people live in particular places and how they organize, govern, and create meaning. A hallmark of sociocultural anthropology is its concern with similarities and differences, both within and among societies, and its attention to race, sexuality, class, gender, and nationality. Research in sociocultural anthropology is distinguished by its emphasis on participant observation, which involves placing oneself in the research context for extended periods of time to gain a first-hand sense of how local knowledge is put to work in grappling with practical problems of everyday life and with basic philosophical problems of knowledge, truth, power, and justice. Topics of concern to sociocultural anthropologists include such areas as health, work, ecology and environment, education, agriculture and development, and social change.
Biological (or Physical) Anthropology: ?Biological anthropologists seek to understand how humans adapt to diverse environments, how biological and cultural processes work together to shape growth, development and behavior, and what causes disease and early death. In addition, they are interested in human biological origins, evolution and variation. They give primary attention to investigating questions having to do with evolutionary theory, our place in nature, adaptation and human biological variation. To understand these processes, biological anthropologists study other primates (primatology), the fossil record (paleoanthropology), prehistoric people (bio archaeology), and the biology (e.g., health, cognition, hormones, growth and development) and genetics of living populations.
Archaeology: ?Archaeologists study past peoples and cultures, from the deepest prehistory to the recent past, through the analysis of material remains, ranging from artifacts and evidence of past environments to architecture and landscapes. Material evidence, such as pottery, stone tools, animal bone, and remains of structures, is examined within the context of theoretical paradigms, to address such topics as the formation of social groupings, ideologies, subsistence patterns, and interaction with the environment. Like other areas of anthropology, archaeology is a comparative discipline; it assumes basic human continuities over time and place, but also recognizes that every society is the product of its own particular history and that within every society there are commonalities as well as variation.
Linguistic Anthropology: Linguistic anthropology is the comparative study of ways in which language reflects and influences social life. It explores the many ways in which language practices define patterns of communication, formulate categories of social identity and group membership, organize large-scale cultural beliefs and ideologies, and, in conjunction with other forms of meaning-making, equip people with common cultural representations of their natural and social worlds. Linguistic anthropology shares with anthropology in general a concern to understand power, inequality, and social change, particularly as these are constructed and represented through language and discourse. (American Anthropological Association) http://www.aaanet.org/about/whatisanthropology.cfm
SOCIOLOGY
The American Sociological Association defines sociology as follows: ?Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports. In fact, few fields have such broad scope and relevance for research, theory, and application of knowledge. Sociology provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas and critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who craft policies and create programs.? Sociological research methods may be divided into two broad categories:
Quantitative designs?approach social phenomena through quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many cases (or across intentionally designed treatments in an experiment) to create valid and reliable general claims
Qualitative designs?emphasize understanding of social phenomena through direct observation, communication with participants, or analysis of texts, and may stress contextual and subjective accuracy over generality
Sociologists are divided into camps of support for particular research techniques. These disputes relate to the epistemological debates at the historical core of social theory. While very different in many aspects, both qualitative and quantitative approaches involve a systematic interaction between?theory?and data. ?http://www.answers.com/topic/sociology
PSYCHOLOGY
One of the most common questions asked by students new to the study of psychology is ?What is psychology?? Misconceptions created by popular media as well as the diverse careers paths of those holding psychology degrees have contributed this confusion. Psychology is both an applied and academic field that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain how we think, act and feel. Applications for psychology include mental health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics and many other areas affecting health and daily life.
Abnormal Psychology, is the study of abnormal behavior and psychopathology. This specialty area is focused on research and treatment of a variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical psychology. Biological Psychology, also known as biopsychology, studies how biological processes influence the mind and behavior. This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain injury or brain abnormalities. Clinical Psychology, is focused on the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Cognitive Psychology, is the study of human thought processes and cognitions. Cognitive psychologists study topics such as attention, memory, perception, decision-making, problem-solving and language acquisition. Personality Psychology, looks at the various elements that make up individual personalities. Well-known personality theories include Freud?s structural model of personality and the ?Big Five? theory of personality. Social Psychology, is a discipline that uses scientific methods to study social influence, social perception and social interaction. Social psychology studies diverse subjects including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression and prejudice. http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/f/psychfaq.htm
PHYSICS
Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other. This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity . . . just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies. As an experimental science, physics utilizes the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses that are based on observation of the natural world. The goal of physics is to use the results of these experiments to formulate scientific laws, usually expressed in the language of mathematics, which can then be used to predict other phenomena. In a broader sense, physics can be seen as the most fundamental of the natural sciences. Chemistry, for example, can be viewed as a complex application of physics, as it focuses on the interaction of energy and matter in chemical systems. We also know that biology is, at its heart, an application of chemical properties in living things, which means that it is also, ultimately, ruled by the physical laws. Because physics covers so much area, it is divided into several specific fields of study, such as electronics, quantum physics, astronomy, and biophysics. www.physics.about.com
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Source: http://minnesotapara.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/the-enigma-of-scientific-paranormal-groups/
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