https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw Assignment #2 en-us 2017-04-03 12:37:08 UTC 2025-10-22 15:16:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Manbag.png Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164353447 The Amityville Haunting is one of America's most notorious haunted house stories. It centers around 112 Ocean Avenue in New York, and has been a hot topic of discussion spanning decades.

It all started in 1976 when Ronald Defeo Jr, murdered his family of six in the home. There was a lot of speculation as to why he did it and whether he had an accomplice. Ronald was found guilty and sentenced to life in jail.

Not long after, George and Kathy lutz moved into the house; aware of it's history but willing to give it a chance. They only ended up lasting 28 days before fleeing the house, leaving all of their belongings behind. The family claimed that there were evil forces living in the house that terrorized them for days, until the 28th day when it got so bad they decided to just leave.

More info provided here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfPKiPniEmI]]> 2017-04-03 14:36:00 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164353447 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164362236 http://www.amityvillefiles.com/haunting/

This is a website I found that has an incredible amount of information on everything that has to do with The Amityville Haunting. You can find a brief history on the house itself as well as in depth information on the murders that occured there and the hauntings that occured afterwards. There's all kinds of images, videos, and articles that pertain to the haunting.

The website does a good job of staying objective and not catering to one side more than the other. It provides both actual facts about the murders and haunting rather then speculations. It also doesn't dismiss the Lutzes claims of paranormal activities. It avoids many red flags such as confirmation bias, red herring, and proof by verbosity. ]]> 2017-04-03 14:58:09 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164362236 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164366880 http://www.amityvillemurders.com/

This is another fact based website I found that has a lot of information in regard to the haunting. It provides information on the murders, the ensuing trial of Ronald Defeo jr, and the media circus that surrounded it. 

This website however, focuses a lot more on the murders and the controversy that surrounded George and Kathy lutz. It focuses on dispelling any and all evidence that anything paranormal happened and that George and Kathy Lutz made it all up as a hoax to make money.

There is definitely evidence of both confirmation bias and proof by verbosity. The authors of this website believe that that whole thing was a set up and so they set up their website in the same way. They don't look at evidence that there could have been paranormal activity at all other then to prove that it never happened. They are only posting about what their beliefs are while ignoroing potential evidence that maybe something paranormal did in fact happen. Proof by verbosity also comes into play here because they post so much information in support of their beliefs without posting anything that might counter their views.


]]> 2017-04-03 15:09:53 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164366880 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164378049 The clip below is an interview that Kathy and George Lutz did on Good Morning America. In the clip they speak about their experiences in the house and talk about the days leading up to the night they left. Actor Josh Brolin is also sitting in with them and is interviewed about portraying George Lutz in the film adaption of the book that was written about the infamous house. 

Confirmation Bias is a big factor in this interview. They only talk about the experiences that they claim they had in the house and don't even mention any kind of logical explanation as to why it might've happened. They ignore any evidence that might prove their story to be wrong. I think their reason for belief comes from their emotional connection to the situation. It was something they went through personally and obviously frightened them a great deal. There also seems to be an appeal to authority involved with this interview as well. The fact that Josh Brolin verifies that he believes their story shows this connection because they are using his high profile name to add credibility to their story. Also the fact that they did the interview on Good Morning America, which is a big tv news show also supports this observation.

]]> 2017-04-03 15:34:32 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164378049 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164382386 This is an interview with a few people that were involved with the original investigation of The Amityville house after George and Kathy Lutz left.  We see a news anchor that went into the house with her TV Crew and infamous psychics Ed and Lorraine Warren to investigate any paranormal activities. In the interview, Laura Didio says that she herself never experience any type of phenomena while there but that a lot of her TV crew and other people in the house experienced things such as chest pain, uneasiness, and hearing tapping noises. 

I believe this once again contributes to confirmation bias and proof by verbosity. The people being interviewed are only speaking about their own personal beliefs and opinions on what happened. They only know their experiences and so don't look at any other possibility that there may be. This is once again most likely attributed to an emotional connection more then anything. ]]> 2017-04-03 15:45:55 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164382386 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164386248 This is an audio interview with Laura Didio; who was the first news anchor to take her crew into the infamous house after George and Kathy lutz fled. She talks about the night she and her crew went in there and investigated alongside well known psychics Ed and Lorraine Warren. 

I believe this once again contributes to confirmation bias and proof by verbosity. She is only speaking about her own personal beliefs and opinions on what happened.She only knows what she experienced and so doesn't look at any other possibility that there may be. This is once again most likely attributed to an emotional connection more then anything.]]> 2017-04-03 15:56:52 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164386248 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164387493 This image is of psychics Ed and Lorraine. They were a huge contribution to the investigation, and the Amityville is their most infamous case to date. The photo raised questions because if you look above Ed Warren, just above the white trim, there is speculated to be two orbs on the wall. 

Factors that may go into why some people might believe this image is authentic would be film/television. If you have ever seen a paranormal show or movie, you know that orbs are a way that ghost's are said to make their presence known. So when you look at the photo and someone is telling you that there is an orb; you are more likely to see it if you look hard enough. ]]> 2017-04-03 16:00:29 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164387493 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164389596 During the investigation following George and Kathy Lutz' abandonment of the property; a photo was taken while psychics and a news crew walked through the house. The photo below is one of the shots that was captured, and as you can see there is an apparition of a young boy in the left lower corner by the banister.
Factors that may go into why some people might believe this image is authentic would be film/television. In many movies, ghostly apparitions appear and are the more well known way a ghost may be sighted. Someone who already knows this may connect this information with the photo and believe it to be real. The thing that wasn't mentioned about this photo, that I only discovered from reading through many articles and watching many videos, was that this apparition wasn't actually discovered in the photo until any years later. Again, this photo could be connected to red herring, proof by verbosity, and confirmation bias. ]]> 2017-04-03 16:06:24 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164389596 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164392685 This photo was taken a lot more recently then the previous pictures; but in this photo you can see that a small whispy patch is circles at the bottom left of the screen. 

Again,  Factors that may go into why some people might believe this image is authentic would be film/television. If you have ever seen a paranormal show or movie, you know that orbs are a way that ghost's are said to make their presence known. So when you look at the photo and someone is telling you that there is an orb; you are more likely to see it if you look hard enough. The photo comes from someone who happened to find out where the house still stands and stopped by to take a few pictures. It isn't the most reliable source and shouldn't be considered as actual evidence. ]]> 2017-04-03 16:15:18 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164392685 Katt https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164399571 2017-04-03 16:33:49 UTC https://padlet.com/Katt/r40ux46dbiiw/wish/164399571