Paranormal Theories & Historical Context Flashcards
7 cards from real CPI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Paranormal Theories & Historical Context flashcards as text
The 'Stone Tape Theory' proposes that paranormal phenomena are caused by:
Answer: Emotional events being recorded into building materials and replayed
Stone Tape Theory suggests that strong emotions during traumatic events can be recorded into stone and other building materials, later replaying as apparitions or sounds.
Which philosopher is most associated with early systematic documentation of apparition cases in the 19th century through the Society for Psychical Research?
Answer: Frederic Myers
Frederic Myers co-founded the SPR and authored 'Human Personality and Its Survival of Bodily Death,' systematically cataloging apparition cases.
In paranormal investigation theory, what does 'residual haunting' refer to?
Answer: A non-intelligent replay of past events with no awareness of the present
Residual hauntings are theorized to be non-conscious energy imprints that replay like a loop, showing no awareness of or interaction with living observers.
The 'Multiverse Theory' as applied to paranormal investigation suggests that apparitions could be:
Answer: Bleed-throughs or glimpses of parallel realities coexisting with ours
Some paranormal theorists apply multiverse concepts to suggest apparitions may be glimpses into parallel dimensions or alternate timelines bleeding into our own.
Which ancient culture maintained detailed written records of interactions with spirits they called 'ekimmu'?
Answer: Ancient Sumerians/Babylonians
The ancient Sumerians and Babylonians documented spirits called ekimmu — ghosts of the unburied dead — in cuneiform texts dating back thousands of years.
The 'Psychokinesis (PK) Theory' of poltergeist activity attributes the phenomena primarily to:
Answer: Unconscious mental energy projected by a living person, often an adolescent
PK Theory holds that poltergeist phenomena are generated by the unconscious psychokinetic energy of a living person, often a stressed adolescent, rather than a spirit.
Which term describes the hypothesis that human consciousness may survive bodily death and continue as a discarnate entity?
Answer: Survivalism
Survivalism (or survival hypothesis) is the specific paranormal theory that consciousness or personality persists after physical death as a non-corporeal entity.