Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
SITTING THE EVIDENCES
The Care Exercised by the Psy chIcal SbcIety
in Its Researches.

The Care Exercised by the PsychIcal SbcIety
in Its Researches.
In testing the mass of cases and evidence
reported experience has taught the Exam
lining Committee exactly where to look, for
error-exactly how far allowances are to be
made. inaccuracies spring mainly from two
sources, error in narration and error in
memory. The percipient may be most
trustworthy person, but in his enthusiasm
he may SO desire to convert his readers to
his view of the phenomena as to uncon-
sciously color his narration. Again, strong
desire to interest the reader may influence
the percipient to assume graphic style, and
thus while the interest is heightened the
details lose in accuracy. Copnterbalancing
these tendencies are decided motives for ac-
curact. The percipient who takes the
trouble to write down his experience and
collect his evidence will, from the desire o
create belief, stick closely to the actual
facts. Moreover, his narrative is in black
and white, and he measures carefully what
he states. Errors in memory, however, are
very frequent. Imagination is often the
cause. The percip1ent may be super
stitious person, and unconsciously exagger-
ate very ordinary condolences. He makes
definite perhaps what was really far from
being definite. The chief points are round
ed into form; details change, or perhaps are
left out altogether, and all this most un-
consciously. To decide the value of case,
open as it is to such inaccuracies, is very
nice work. In large number of cases, how
ever, the chance of error is utterly removed.
Prof Burney, of the English society,
writes: "One of the points to which we
have throughout our inquiry attached the
highest value, is the proof that evidence of
the percipient's experience was In existence
prior to the receipt of the agents condition.
This prior evidence may be of various sorts
The percipient may at once make written
record in diary or in letter which NAV
have been preserved, or he may have men
toned his hallucination or impression to
some one who made a note of 1t, or who dis
tinctly remembers that it was so mentioned.
Evidence of this class affords comparatively
little opportunity for the various sorts of
error which have been passed in review. No
amount of carelessness Of narration, or of
love of the marvellous. would enable a wit
ness to time his evidence in correspondence
with an event of which he was ignorant, nor
to fix on the right person with whom to
connect his alleged experience. But apart
from the actual record of the experience in
writing or in some one else's memory, it
may have produced action of sufficiently
distinct sort on the percipient's part; for In
stance, it may have so disturbed him as to
make him take journey, or write at once
for tidings of the agents condition; and
even if he hss done none of these things,
yet il he describes q state Of discomfort or
anxiety, following on his experience and
preceding his receipt OF the news, this must,
at any rate, be accounted Q fresh item of
testimony, confrmatory Of the mere state
ment that such and such an unusual expe-
rience had befallen him." j. B. NJ,