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The Marden-Stoner Study on Commonalities Among UFO Abduction Experiencers - deel 1
© Kathleen Marden
Nearly a year ago, Denise Stoner and I met to discuss the commonalities that alien abduction experiencers share. As longtime abduction investigators/researchers, we were aware of certain repeating patterns of information and characteristics. The pertinent literature, the academic social science studies and the works of David Jacobs, PhD, Thomas Bullard, PhD, Yvonne Smith, and the late Budd Hopkins, John Mack, MD, and others had identified several commonalities among abduction experiencers. But we had not been able to locate an academic study that was specific to our particular interests.
I earned a B.A. degree in social work from the University of New Hampshire in 1971, and participated in graduate studies in education at the University of Cincinnati and U.N.H., while working as a teacher and education services coordinator. I left my job in 1990 to pursue a career as a UFO investigator, researcher and writer. As the niece of Betty and Barney Hill and witness to the primary evidence and aftermath of their alien abduction in 1961, I had been aware of the UFO phenomenon for more than fifty years. My book (with nuclear physicist/scientific ufologist Stanton T. Friedman), Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience was published in 2007 and our second book Science Was Wrong was published in 2010. I had surveyed the psychological studies on self identified abduction experiencers for a chapter on alien abduction in SWW and a research paper I prepared for the MUFON 2010 International UFO Symposium Proceedings. In addition to my independent research, I am also Florida MUFONs Director of Abduction Studies and the National Director of the Abduction Research Team.
Denise has an educational background in business and psychology, and is a certified hypnotist specializing in regressive hypnosis. For 12 years Denise did background investigations for the military on recruits seeking highly classified clearances for work on nuclear submarines. Prior to retirement, Denise moved to a military research facility where she was the training coordinator for several hundred military and civilian employees. For the past several years, Denise has expanded her work with UFO research and investigation. She is an independent abduction researcher and hosts a study group for abduction experiencers and public interest meetings on the UFO phenomenon in general. She is Florida MUFONs Asst. Director of Abduction Studies and the former Chief Investigator for the state.
At our studys inception our stated goals were to benefit abduction experiencers by identifying specific traits that they have in common with other experiencers, and to expand the UFO research communitys knowledge of alien abduction phenomena. The most efficient scientific method for obtaining this information, in our opinion, was through the use of simple straightforward questionnaires, designed to identify commonalities among the UFO abduction experiencers. Each of us brought to the table knowledge of several unique, unpublicized characteristics of the alien abduction experience. The commonalities study would ascertain how widespread these commonalities are across the abduction experiencer population.
We developed three questionnaires: The UFO Abduction Experiencer Questionnaire listed 45 multiple choice questions pertaining to experiencers demographics, abduction memories, emotional responses, physiological responses, and psychic phenomena. The second questionnaire, the Abduction Experiencer E.T. Technology Questionnaire would increase our knowledge of E.T. technology. The third, Commonalities among Non-Abductees Questionnaire, queried individuals, who denied having been abducted by aliens. It was developed after the first two questionnaires had been available for several months, and a commonalities trend had emerged. The 16 multiple choice questions would determine whether or not some of the commonalities among abduction experiencers are common across the general population.
We established a minimum sample size of 50 completed questionnaires for abduction experiencers (AE) and 25 for non-abduction experiencers (NAE). There were 54 participants in the UFO Abduction Experiencer Questionnaire, but 4 questionnaires could not be tallied because they were too incomplete. The Abduction Experiencer E.T. Technology Questionnaire study is not yet complete, as there have been only 24 responses to date. This can be attributed to the fact that a much smaller percentage of experiencers have clear recall of the crafts interior and the technology observed. This part of the study is ongoing.
Participants for our study were solicited via the MUFON UFO Journal and several alien abduction and UFO oriented websites. We also appeared on several radio shows and invited listeners to participate. Last, there were questionnaires at my vendor table at several UFO conferences and at Denises meetings. I posted the questionnaires, a letter of explanation, and an informed consent notice on my website at www.kathleen-marden.com . We communicated to participants that all questionnaires would be kept in a locked and secure location and destroyed at the end of the study. All personal identifying information that was volunteered would remain confidential. As a cautionary measure, we advised all potential participants that they should only complete the questionnaire if they could do so without feeling uncomfortable.
Demographics
Nearly twice as many women (32), as men (18) completed the Abduction Experiencer Questionnaire. Does this indicate that abduction is far more prevalent among women? Not necessarily so. Statistical evidence indicates that men are less likely than women to answer surveys of any kind. But this trend was not supported when we tallied the results of the Commonalities among Non-Abductees Questionnaire. The majority of respondents were men (15) as opposed to women (9). If trends in human behavior have not skewed the results, it suggests that more women than men have been abducted by aliens. This finding has been widely reported by other researchers.
We were interested in identifying possible trends among age groups, partly due to the fact that a significant number of abduction experiencers in the 50+ age group had reported their experiences to us within recent months. Our intuition was correct. 44% of the AE Group participants were born in the 1950s, although only 20% of the NAE Group was in the same age group. This figure drops dramatically for those born in the 1940s (18%) and the 1960s (26%).
Could these statistics indicate that the human abduction program began slowly, perhaps during the 1950s and 60s, and was in full swing beginning in the 1970s? Could this signify that the alien abduction program is winding down? Or could it be that younger people are less likely to fill out questionnaires? Only 12% of the AE Group respondents were under age 40. Yet 24% of the NAE Group was under 40.
We asked each group to identify the size of their area of residence. A survey of the relevant literature indicated that more UFOs were sighted in less populated areas than in large cities in the 1960s and 70s. Also, the majority of well investigated, famous abduction cases (Villas Boas, Hill, Walton, Buff Ledge, Casey CO., etc.), took place in rural areas. Yet the late Budd Hopkins wrote of alien abduction in New York City. We wanted to test whether or not a trend could be established.
Ø AE GroupArea of Residence: Rural (15), Small Town (13), Suburban (13 ), Urban (9)
Ø NAE GroupArea of Residence: Rural (3), Small Town (5), Suburban (12), Urban (5)
The AE participants area of residence was fairly evenly divided among abduction experiencers, with 30% residing in a rural area, 26% in small towns, 26% in suburbs, and 18% in an urban area. 12% of the NAE group resides in a rural area, 20% in a small town, 48% in the suburbs and 20% in an urban area. These statistics indicate that no trend could be established. Slightly more experiencers (12%) are taken from a rural environment than from an urban area. But the difference is not statistically significant.
We wanted to determine if alien abduction is more prevalent one area of the US than another.
Ø AE GroupTime Zone: Eastern (33 ), Central (10 ), Mountain (2 ), Pacific (4 ), Eastern Australia(1)
Ø NAE GroupTime Zone: Eastern (20), Central (4), Mountain (0), Pacific (0), British (1)
66% of the AE group resides in the Eastern Time Zone, 20% Central, 4% Mountain, 8% Pacific, and 2% in foreign countries. These statistics are a bit perplexing. We asked, Are there more abduction experiencers living in the Eastern US than in all other regions combined? Or did more people in the Eastern US listen to our radio interviews? The NAE questionnaire answered this question. 80% reside in the Eastern Time Zone, 16% Central, 0% Mountain, 0% Pacific, and 4% in Great Britain. The majority of participants in both groups reside in the Eastern US. Therefore, the AE group presents no valid evidence that more experiencers reside in the Eastern US than elsewhere.
The majority of abduction experiencers believe that they have been taken repeatedly over a number of years or throughout their lifetime. We wanted to determine how frequently contact occurs.
Ø How many times do you think youve been taken? 1 time only (2), 2-5 (8), 6-10 (4), More than 10 (25), No certain (8), no answer (3)
50% stated that they have been taken more than 10 times. The next largest group was those who could not state a specific number (22%), followed by the 2-5 range (16%). This is a significant finding because the majority of abduction experiencers believe that their alien contact occurs periodically throughout their lifetime. Only two participants stated that they had been taken only one time. This is interesting because their answers on the questionnaire revealed that they had little in common with multiple abduction experiencers.
Many experiencers believe that they have been taken since they were small children. We asked for this information.
Ø Age when first abduction occurred? Under 5 (18), 5-9 (10), 10-19 (7), Over 20 (7), Not sure (8)
70% of the respondents indicated that they were under age 20 when their first abduction occurred. 36 % were under 5. In another question we asked how frequently their visitations had occurred. 68% stated that their abductions occurred most frequently when they were under age 30. However, a surprising 21% of the over 40 group stated that their contacts are still frequent. A clear pattern of frequency across all age groups could not be established. Only 20% stated that they had been taken more than one time per month. An equal number are not sure how often theyve been visited by ETs. Others replied from one time per month to 2-3 times per year.
Abduction Memories
This section of the questionnaire is divided into four parts with subcategories.
1. Conscious recall
2. Emotional responses
3. Physiological responses
4. Psi phenomena
Conscious recall
Ø 88% stated that their abduction memories were consciously recalled; 56% through dreams; 36% through hypnosis; 16% through other means such as flashbacks.
Ø 67% stated that they consciously recalled (not with hypnosis), the observation of an unconventional craft at less than 1000 feet prior to an abduction.
Ø 56% stated that they consciously recalled (not with hypnosis), the observation of non-human entities immediately prior to an abduction while they were outside their home.
Ø 76% indicated that they were not alone when they were taken.
Ø 62% of the witnesses had conscious recall for at least part of the experience.
Ø 43% stated that witnesses reported the observation of a UFO near their house, vehicle, tent, etc. prior to or during their abduction.
Ø 58% stated that they are aware of having been examined on an alien craft.
These highly significant statistics reveal that the majority of the respondents had conscious recall of at least one abduction experience and were not alone when it occurred. More than half remembered observing a craft at less than 1000 feet and non-human entities prior to at least one abduction experience. We are often led by the media sources to believe that the majority of abduction experiencers are procured exclusively from their bedrooms and have no witnesses. The Marden-Stoner study indicates that this perception is false.
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