Tiny Matters Ghosts and cyborgs: A specter skeptic and the promise (and perils) of biohybrid robots
Oct 30, 2024
Join Chris French, an expert in anomalistic psychology, and Vicki Webster-Wood, a leader in biohybrid robotics, as they explore the spectral and mechanical realms. French dives into the psychology of ghost sightings, examining how expectations and environmental factors mislead ghost hunters. He also discusses the intrigue of ghost-hunting gear. Meanwhile, Webster-Wood unveils the promises of biohybrid robots, from biodegradable actuators to using them for environmental monitoring, while emphasizing the ethical concerns of integrating human tissues in robotics.
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Skeptic On A Haunted Homes TV Show
- Chris French described being the skeptic on the TV show Haunted Homes and working alongside a medium and a paranormal investigator.
- He recalled the investigator proudly playing an EVP that clearly contained someone singing Celine Dion, not a ghostly voice.
How Expectation Shapes Perception
- Top-down processing makes us hear or see meaningful patterns in noisy recordings or visuals.
- Pareidolia explains why we often perceive faces or voices in random noise when primed to expect them.
Evolutionary Bias Toward Detecting Agents
- Humans evolved a bias to assume potential threats or agents are present because false alarms are less costly than misses.
- This threat-detection bias helps explain widespread beliefs in spirits across cultures.
