Matrixing/Pareidolia
Matrixing–or pareidolia–is the name given to the way the human brain sometimes fools the eyes into seeing things. Or as explained in scientific terms:
Pareidolia (paeri'douliə/ parr-i-DOH-lee-ə) is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant. Common examples include seeing images of animals or faces in clouds, the man in the moon or the Moon rabbit, and hearing hidden messages on records when played in reverse.
The word comes from the Greek words para (παρά, "beside, alongside, instead [of]") in this context meaning something faulty or wrong; and the noun eidōlon (εἴδωλον "image, form, shape"), the diminutive of eidos. Pareidolia is a type of apophenia, seeing patterns in random data.
Does the image above seem to be
moving? I can guarantee you it isn’t. Believe me; I printed it out to be
sure. You’re welcome to print it out as a test, too, if it makes you feel better. Frankly, it’s one of the best
examples of matrixing I’ve encountered.
In the world of paranormal investigation, however, matrixing is a double-edged sword. It is one of the debunking tools applied to possible paranormal photographs. Particularly when those images involve glass.
In the world of paranormal investigation, however, matrixing is a double-edged sword. It is one of the debunking tools applied to possible paranormal photographs. Particularly when those images involve glass.
The paranormal is a world we at MGCParanormal love to get elbow deep into
a few times a month. Using infra-red video, digital cameras, night vision video cameras,
temperature change/thermal detectors, EMF detectors, audio recorders placed in numerous
locations, and even wind chimes sealed in a jar; these instruments are all a means
to investigate houses or buildings with suspected paranormal activity.
It’s easy to get excited when we seem to have captured something authentic. Yet
anyone in the field has to stay on constant guard to keep an open mind, open
eyes and open ears. So we employ matrixing software and the help of
professional photographers to validate or debunk our photographic finds.
We want you to look at the next image. Closely. Tell me how many figures or faces (if any) you can find in it. We’ll get back to it in just a moment. Please suffer through a little science first; it will give you a better understanding.
Examples of matrixing you may recognize are the Face on Mars, in the image below.
Or car designs.
Automotive grilles are often deliberately manipulated to make a vehicle
appear more ‘friendly’ or ‘aggressive’ for marketing purposes. And no one
who’s ever seen a Studebaker at an antique car show will disagree: it looks
like a Ford that sucked on a lemon. (Sorry about that one. I plead a
strange sense of humor.)
“Holy” figures in surprising places or shapes in clouds are occasionally considered matrixing, But, (and we love this one!) what most people don’t know is even the scientific community uses a sort of directed matrixing: Rorschach ink blot tests. Surprised you there, didn’t we? And that one’s not a joke.
The most basic explanation we can come up with for matrixing is that recognizing other humans (particularly faces of parents) is the first skill a baby learns. It’s so deeply ingrained in the psyche–and maybe our DNA–that it remains operative on an unconscious level throughout our lives. Pattern recognition of this sort is also a survival tool; it allowed earliest humans a way to spot predators in hiding.
“Holy” figures in surprising places or shapes in clouds are occasionally considered matrixing, But, (and we love this one!) what most people don’t know is even the scientific community uses a sort of directed matrixing: Rorschach ink blot tests. Surprised you there, didn’t we? And that one’s not a joke.
The most basic explanation we can come up with for matrixing is that recognizing other humans (particularly faces of parents) is the first skill a baby learns. It’s so deeply ingrained in the psyche–and maybe our DNA–that it remains operative on an unconscious level throughout our lives. Pattern recognition of this sort is also a survival tool; it allowed earliest humans a way to spot predators in hiding.
But not everything can be
explained as matrixing. Some things are truly unexplainable. Take one
more look at the window image above. It’s from a house formerly used as a
Civil War hospital. After you’ve studied it take a quick look at the final
image of today’s blog. I'm including a second image to show it’s a shot of a second story
window, taken from the ground. There was no possible way to
produce such a proportionate reflection from anyone standing
near me at the time it was taken (as suggested); neither was anyone in the room. Since it’s my
picture, I can guarantee there has been no photoshopping, no
enhancements whatsoever. It’s exactly as it is on the digital smart card. I’ve
simply enlarged it here for easier viewing.
The picture is a shot of the window
on the upper left, the one with red curtains. In the final picture (below)
I took the liberty of outlining forms a number of
different individuals consistently noticed in the frame. One seems to be an older gentleman
sitting with forearms on his thighs (left, with upper part of his head above
middle window divider, appearing to be in what resembles a medical coat), and the full face of a woman on the red cloth at the
right side of the photo. If you look between the two pics again,
(this face I didn’t outline) there seems to be a young child, her
face looking downward, slightly right-profiled. She has a broad forehead
that is part of the woman’s chin and lower face to help find her in the
first, and unmarked photo.
So, what do you think? Are we matrixing? Put on your Paranormal Investigator hat and go through the check list for photographs. I just felt a shiver....
What
do your goosebumps say?
Tell you what. If we get FIFTEEN (15) COMMENTERS before midnight Wednesday March 4, 2015, one will be chosen to receive an MGCParanormal t-shirt! So please, feel free to share this post! Good luck!
Until next week, happy Ghost Hunting!
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