On 21 Dec 2010 at 11:05, Dr. Bob Wildblood wrote: > Yes, this happens to me most frequently when I have been driving for a period > of time - 1/2 hour or more. >
This may well be a dumb question (and if you have to say it, it probably is), but how do we know for sure it's really a phantom? I'm struck by the finding in the BMJ paper that taking the device off vibrate mode stopped the phenomenon in 75% of the cases. This doesn't necessarily mean it isn't a phantom. But a phone which can vibrate may vibrate, even if we don't know why. Perhaps it's a signal that one is switching between cell phone towers, or a pulse of stray electromagnetic energy from a zapper somewhere, or from little green men on Alpha Centauri. Except for that last bit, I would hope that Friar William from Ockham be pleased with this suggestion. And perhaps a telephone engineer could explain how it might happen. But it unfortunately still leaves unexplained the poor deluded 25% who claim to experience the phenomenon with vibration mode turned off. Perhaps they're just mistaken. A possible experiment would be to issue cell phones to people to be left on vibrate so they can monitor the phenomenon. Only unbeknownst to the subjects, some of these phones would be disabled. How often would a person carrying a disabled device which he/she falsely believes can vibrate experience a phantom vibration? If the answer is near to never in comparison which those that can, then the phones must be really doin' it. (Further complication: might have to promise to call on a few occasions. The phantom might require not only having a phone set on vibrate, but having some expectation of receiving a call on it). Stephen -------------------------------------------- Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Bishop's University Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada e-mail: sblack at ubishops.ca --------------------------------------------- --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=7420 or send a blank email to leave-7420-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
