Understanding Pseudocognition in Paranormal Investigation

By Dr. Joel Ramsey, The Paranormal Professor

Have you ever walked into a supposedly haunted location and felt a sudden chill? Heard a creak in the floorboards and immediately thought "ghost"? Seen a shadow move and been convinced it was something supernatural?

If so, you've experienced something that communication scholar Walter Lippmann called the "pseudoenvironment"—and it's one of the most powerful forces shaping how we perceive the paranormal.

What Is a Pseudoenvironment?

In 1922, Walter Lippmann published a groundbreaking book called Public Opinion in which he introduced a concept that would revolutionize how we understand human perception. He argued that we don't experience the world directly. Instead, we experience it through "the pictures in our heads"—mental constructions built from our beliefs, expectations, prior experiences, and the stories we've been told.

Lippmann called this mental world the pseudoenvironment.

He famously wrote: "For the most part we do not first see, and then define, we define first and then see."

In other words: We don't perceive reality objectively. We perceive it through the lens of what we already believe.

How This Applies to the Paranormal

Think about the last time you visited a "haunted" location. Before you even walked through the door, what did you know about it?

• Had you heard stories about what happens there?

• Did someone tell you about the ghost of a woman in white who appears on the third floor?

• Had you read about unexplained noises, cold spots, or shadowy figures?

That information created a pseudoenvironment in your mind.

And once that pseudoenvironment was established, your brain began looking for evidence to confirm it. This is called confirmation bias—and it's one of the most common cognitive patterns in human psychology.

Pseudocognition in Action: An Example

Let's say you're investigating an old Victorian mansion. Before you arrive, you learn:

• A woman died in the master bedroom in 1887

• People report feeling a "presence" on the second floor

• Visitors often hear the sound of footsteps in the hallway at night

Your brain has now constructed a pseudoenvironment:

There is a ghost of a woman in the master bedroom. If I go to the second floor, I will feel her presence. If I'm there at night, I will hear her footsteps.

Now you arrive at the mansion. You walk up to the second floor. It's quiet. The old wooden floors creak under your weight. A draft comes through a poorly sealed window, and you feel a chill.

What does your brain interpret this as?

Not "old house with creaky floors and drafty windows."

Instead: "I feel a presence. The ghost is here. Those are her footsteps I'm hearing (even though they're my own). The chill is her energy."

Your pseudoenvironment has shaped your perception of physical, natural phenomena.

This Doesn't Mean Ghosts Aren't Real

Here's what's important to understand: acknowledging the power of pseudocognition does not mean the paranormal doesn't exist.

What it means is that as investigators—and as people who experience unexplained phenomena—we must be aware of how powerfully our expectations shape what we perceive.

If we're going to investigate the paranormal seriously, we have to ask:

• What am I expecting to see before I arrive?

• How might those expectations influence my interpretation of what I experience?

• Can I design an investigation that accounts for my own cognitive bias?

This is the foundation of rigorous paranormal investigation.

The Three Layers of Pseudoenvironment Construction

When someone reports a haunting, their pseudoenvironment is usually built from three sources:

1. Cultural Narratives

We grow up consuming ghost stories, horror movies, and paranormal TV shows. These create templates in our minds for what a "haunting" looks like:

• Cold spots = ghost presence

• EMF spikes = spiritual energy

• Unexplained sounds = spirit communication

These associations aren't universal truths—they're culturally constructed beliefs.

2. Personal Experience and Trauma

If someone has experienced loss, grief, or trauma in a location, their brain may construct a pseudoenvironment where the unexplained becomes evidence of a continued connection to the deceased.

This isn't delusion—it's the human mind seeking meaning and comfort in the face of loss.

3. Social Reinforcement

When multiple people in a household or community believe a location is haunted, they reinforce each other's pseudoenvironments. One person reports hearing footsteps, another confirms it, and soon the entire group is primed to interpret every sound as paranormal.

This is called "psychic contagion"—and it's incredibly powerful.

How I Use Pseudoenvironment Theory in My Investigations

As a paranormal investigator with a PhD in Communication, I've developed what I call the Ramsey Communication-Based Investigation Protocol (RCIP). One of its core principles is assessing the pseudoenvironment before investigating the phenomena.

Here's what I do:

Step 1: Interview the Client About Their Beliefs

Before I investigate any location, I ask:

• What do you believe is happening here?

• What stories have you heard about this place?

• What do you expect me to find?

This reveals the pseudoenvironment they've constructed.

Step 2: Document the Narrative

I map out how the "haunting story" has spread:

• Who first reported the phenomena?

• How did others learn about it?

• Has the story changed or evolved over time?

This shows me how communication has shaped belief.

Step 3: Design a Blind Investigation

Whenever possible, I bring people into an investigation who don't know the location's history. I compare their experiences to those of people who've been "primed" with the haunting narrative.

If the unprimed investigators report the same phenomena, that's significant. If they don't, that suggests the pseudoenvironment is influencing perception.

Step 4: Rule Out Natural Explanations

Before attributing anything to the paranormal, I systematically eliminate:

• Structural issues (drafts, settling, faulty wiring)

• Environmental factors (infrasound, electromagnetic interference)

• Psychological factors (sleep paralysis, pareidolia, suggestion)

Only after ruling out all natural causes do I consider paranormal explanations.

Why This Matters for You

Whether you're a paranormal enthusiast, a skeptic, or someone experiencing unexplained phenomena, understanding pseudoenvironments gives you a powerful tool:

The ability to question your own perceptions.

This doesn't diminish your experiences—it enriches them. By being aware of how expectations shape perception, you can:

• Investigate more rigorously

• Ask better questions

• Distinguish between what you're actually experiencing and what you're expecting to experience

And if something genuinely unexplained remains after accounting for pseudocognition? That's when things get really interesting.

The Bottom Line

Walter Lippmann's insight from 1922 is more relevant than ever in paranormal investigation:

"We define first and then see."

Our beliefs create the lens through which we experience the world. Acknowledging this doesn't weaken paranormal investigation—it strengthens it.

Because if we want to find genuine evidence of the unexplained, we first have to understand how our own minds can deceive us.

In my next post, I'll introduce the full Ramsey Communication-Based Investigation Protocol (RCIP)—a systematic approach to investigating the paranormal that accounts for pseudocognition while remaining open to genuine phenomena.

Have you ever experienced something you thought was paranormal, only to discover a natural explanation later? Or vice versa? Share your story in the comments—I'd love to hear about it.

Dr. Joel Ramsey is a certified paranormal investigator, paranormal research scientist, and communication scholar who applies scientific rigor and theoretical frameworks to the study of unexplained phenomena. Contact him for investigations, speaking engagements, or consultations.