PARTICIPANT 094 GUIDE TO SCORING 0 = There was nothing generally or specifically accurate in the participant's reading of the object. Correctly deducing or guessing one thing, such as the gender of the object's owner or how much/little the object was used, also did not count as that information could be obtained via 50/50 chance or by inspecting the object. +1 = At least one specific thing (physical description or action) or a few general things (abstract or emotional) were accurate in the participant's reading of the object. Specific things would include accurate descriptions of something physical or an action. General things include more abstract or emotional concepts. +2 = Several specific things were accurate in the participant's reading of the object. There may be some general things that accompany these specific things that are also accurate. Despite that, at least 50% of the reading was inaccurate, or the reading was too brief and lacked detail to determine it as being any more accurate. +3 = Generally, the reading was on target. Several specific things were accurate as well as general accuracy. Generally, 25% to 40% of the statements made in the reading could be inaccurate or ambiguous. +4 = The reading was overall on target. This would include general accuracy throughout the reading with less than 25% being clearly inaccurate statements, with an allowance for one or two ambiguities. Most importantly, several specific things were clearly accurate. +5 = This would be a reading that was completely on target with a majority of statements being specifically accurate with an allowance for general statements as well. There would be no inaccuracies in the reading. Nobody scored this high in the Psychometry Experiment. OBJECT B - "GLASS BALL" WHAT PARTICIPANT SAID/WROTE 1 This is something that sits on top of a fireplace within a house 2 There is a picture above, or a mirror 3 It is a white fireplace 4 There are plants around 5 Tools are kept next to the fireplace 6 on the right side 7 they are black. 8 This is a house in a rural area, maybe a farm 9 I see an old lady 10 A big screen TV, an old boxy TV 11 There is a center table near the big screen TV 12 The TV is off and the place is relatively empty, no one is around 13 An old lady with dark clothes, black clothes, holding a cane 14 Fireplace has flowers on the mantle - small and colourful, yellow, pink and white 15 Red wall around fireplace 16 No fire in the fireplace 17 This is an old house 18 There is a modern set-up - leather couches around a table 19 Area rugs between the sofa and TV 20 Windows in room with TV OBJECT B - ACTUAL BACKGROUND OF OWNER/OBJECT This was a “control object” in the experiment, purchased by the experimenter, Chris Laursen, new from a shop that has good from around the world on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario. Once purchased, it was kept in the original bag and hidden away behind books in one of his bookshelves. It was only removed once the Psychometry Experiment commenced, at which point, it was stored on a shelf in boxes with all of the other objects used in the experiment. The idea was to see if those reading could perceive this was a control object in some way. RESULT = +1 The experimenter does own many plants and there is a red room in his apartment. But no further specific information on the object, circumstances, or owner's life came to light in this reading. OBJECT D - "PLAQUE OF VIRGIN MARY" WHAT PARTICIPANT SAID/WROTE 1 This is from Mexico or some place like that 2 Street vendor on the side of the street 3 selling white t-shirts and straw hats 4 on the side of a dirt road - dusty 5 There is a beige wall - it is dirty 6 There are colours around the shop 7 This was handmade by an older man, who is thin 8 A sunny day in a busy marketplace 9 A Mexican lady - a bit chubby 10 Hung outside, maybe as protection 11 Not from a church 12 Owned by a lady 13 She liked it - hung it up for protection 14 There is nothing crazy about it 15 It was hung outside, not inside 16 at the backdoor of a house 17 there is a patio with cement blocks 18 maybe a pool 19 This is away from a city 20 It does not have religious meaning to the person who bought it. 21 Where they bought it was a busy street in some place like Mexico OBJECT D - ACTUAL BACKGROUND OF OWNER/OBJECT OWNER: The owner is Chris Laursen, a Caucasian university student born in Alberta in 1974 who was living in downtown Toronto at the time of the experiment in an apartment by the harbour with an art student. He studies history, and is making this his second career after having worked in the media as a journalist and then administrator. He was working at a broadcasting association at the time, and was about to return to university to prepare for graduate school. He has travelled in North America, South America and Europe. STORY OF THE OBJECT: This object was purchased a few months prior to the Psychometry Experiment by Chris Laursen from eBay. The previous owner (who lived on Long Island, New York, and claimed to be a paranormal investigator, although this could not be verified) of the plaque contended that it was from a haunted house in Belmez, Spain, where in the 1970s faces inexplicably appeared on the floor (as if they were painted or drawn with charcoal). Laursen was sceptical that this object actually originated from this house, and thought it would be interesting to test it in the experiment to see what people would get from it. RESULT = 0 This is an imaginative description, and much of it can not be verified based on what is actually known of the object. It is interesting that the participant perceived a woman owner who did not live in a city, for if this object were indeed from Belmez (a village in Spain), it was owned by a woman. It is hard to correlate the accuracy of any reading on this object given the circumstances. However, no aspects of the experimenter's life, how the object was obtained, or its alleged history were perceived in the reading. OBJECT G - "PERFUME BOTTLE" WHAT PARTICIPANT SAID/WROTE 1 A woman owns this 2 I see a dressing table with a big mirror in a bedroom 3 In an apartment or condo 4 She is a white lady, not too old, not too young 5 Perfume seems old 6 She got it a long time ago 7 There is maybe a window nearby 8 Can’t see where it is - near a city 9 There are white/beige or light yellowish walls 10 It’s a bright day, light summery day with a cool breeze 11 This is not used frequently 12 Comes from middle class family 13 Owner lives in an upper floor, definitely not a ground floor 14 2nd, 3rd floor or higher 15 There is a lady with a hat and flowers on it 16 A summer dress with flowers 17 She took this on a trip, and that’s where the dents are from OBJECT G - ACTUAL BACKGROUND OF OWNER/OBJECT OWNER: This object was lent by a female of Chinese descent born in 1984 who lives on her own in a sixth floor condo in downtown Toronto. She graduated a few years ago with a university degree in the fine arts, actively shows her artwork, and works a retail job part-time. She has travelled through Europe, the U.S., China and Hong Kong. She has a boyfriend who does not live with her. She has not had any psychical experiences. STORY OF THE OBJECT: The object she submitted was a bottle of perfume with a dent in it. Her mother gave it to her one day, but she disregarded it because she does not wear perfume and she crammed it into her bathroom cupboard. One day, it fell out (thus the dent) and she found a note in the box that she hadn’t seen from her mother telling her she was so happy her daughter had grown into a woman. This was meaningful, because her mother is not the type of person who openly expresses such feelings. Also, the daughter had recently lost her virginity – and her grandmother had died around that time. Had the object not fallen out of the cupboard, it would never have had such meaning. RESULT = +2 This is among the most interesting readings given on an object in the experiment. There are several points which are specifically or generally accurate to the owner (lines 1, 3, 11, 12, 13, 14). However, over half of the statements made are either inaccurate or overly ambiguous. Still, a very good job! OBJECT H - "BOY AND GIRL STATUETTES" WHAT PARTICIPANT SAID/WROTE 1 This was placed on or near a fireplace 2 Broke during a move or by children 3 Placed in a backyard near a small pond, near some water 4 It has sentimental value, the owner is attached to it 5 They were upset when it broke, and tried to fix it 6 When it broke, it was a cloudy day, gloomy, on verge of rain 7 The living room has a side table with some couches 8 An old lady - name beginning with an “S” - like Sarah 9 Might be the owner, might be someone they know 10 It’s an older house with a modern set-up inside 11 It has a dark beige, brown or black interior 12 A name beginning with “C” - Charles or Charlie 13 Backyard has plants, suburban garden 14 This is placed near a door or window 15 See a lot of glass - floor to ceiling 16 It looks Italian - bought in Europe or made there OBJECT H - ACTUAL BACKGROUND OF OWNER/OBJECT OWNER: This object was lent by a Roman Catholic housewife born in 1935. Originally from northern Italy, she has lived with her husband in Hamilton, Ontario since the late 1950s. She and her husband are retired, and own many rental properties for income. They are active in their cultural community, have three daughters and four grandchildren – three male and one female. They raise rabbits for food in their backyard, and have a garden. She is well-known in her family for her cooking, and serves very traditional rural, northern Italian dishes. She and her family have gone to resorts throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, but otherwise her travels have been limited to Canada and Italy. STORY OF THE OBJECT: She lent two small porcelain busts, one of a boy, the other of a girl. Made in Venice, they were given as a gift when her husband’s brother and his wife visited Canada in 1972. They are displayed on shelves in their living room with family photos and a few other mementos. The bust of the girl was broken when one of her grandchildren accidentally knocked it off a table where it was displayed in 1999. The woman interpreted this as a portent that her youngest daughter was dead – which never came true – and she was only relieved when her grandson confessed to breaking it. This story is a favourite in the family. RESULT = +3 As with the reading of Object G, there are some interesting correlations in the participant's reading of Object H. Although not completely accurate, it does warrant a +3 rating for the amount of details that were generally accurate throughout the reading. Circumstances of breaking by a child is accurate (line 2). Line 5 is interesting, because the incident took place during a massive blizzard (though not rain, it was a storm). The owner of the object remembers this because the blizzard had hit the woman's youngest daughter had been caught in it while on the road. The object is kept in the living with two couches and a side table in an older house from the 1950s. The letters "S" and "C" (lines 8 and 12) correlate with the first letter of the woman's maiden and married names respectively, though both names are Italian not Sarah or Charles as suggested. Line 13, in the backyard is a suburban garden. Finally, there is the Italian connection (line 16). Generally the reading was on target. Again, good job!