Trickster-Like Experiences While Documenting the Paranormal: Rasch Analysis of an Initial Survey
Journal of Scientific Exploration March 26, 2026 James Houran, Rense Lange, Brandon Massullo et al.
Anomalous events resembling trickster behavior—such as missing files, device malfunctions, unusual dreams, and emotional shifts—were reported by researchers writing about ghostly episodes. In a sample of 167 participants (7 credentialed frontier scientists and 160 amateur paranormal investigators), subjective experiences occurred 1.6 times more often than objective events, with endorsement rates from 7% to 30%. Rasch analysis showed a unidimensional hierarchy of 14 coherent items with strong internal consistency (KR-20 = .87) and minimal gender bias. While psychological mechanisms like memory reconstruction or cognitive load may explain many anomalies, their clustering and symbolic framing suggest deeper epistemological vulnerabilities, termed a “trickster chain,” in paranormal-themed writing. The findings may extend to other emotionally charged or liminal writing contexts.