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Experts have been using fake monsters... [View all]
... to test how people report encounters with mythical creatures.
One exercise saw one person unleashed in a popular Edinburgh attraction dressed in a gorilla suit, as part of a study to see how people react to so-called Bigfoot sightings.
The experts have also used props and costumes to create other beasts.
The team from the University of St Andrews, Fife, are keeping tight-lipped about their research until it has been published in a scientific journal.
But Dr Charles Paxton, a research fellow and statistical ecologist at the university, explained the “serious study” would help his team find statistical patterns in accounts of weird and wonderful sightings. He admitted: “People think it’s a bit odd till I explain what I’m doing.”
The experts have also used props and costumes to create other beasts.
The team from the University of St Andrews, Fife, are keeping tight-lipped about their research until it has been published in a scientific journal.
But Dr Charles Paxton, a research fellow and statistical ecologist at the university, explained the “serious study” would help his team find statistical patterns in accounts of weird and wonderful sightings. He admitted: “People think it’s a bit odd till I explain what I’m doing.”
http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views/scotland/experts-using-fake-monsters-to-test-how-people-report-encounters-with-mythical-creatures-1.842133
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