“Best UFO Cases” by Isaac Koi
PART 18: Qualitative criteria: Miscellaneous other criteria
Below are some notes I have made on points I considered interesting on miscellaneous other qualititative criteria relevant to the weight to be given to a UFO report.
1. Prior interest of witness in UFOs
A study by Allan Hendry, reported in his book “The UFO Handbook” (1979), includes a relatively detailed comparison of reports which remain unidentified after his investigation (i.e. UFO cases) and ones which are identified during that investigation (i.e. IFO cases).
Allan Hendry indicates that he asked each witness whether they had exhibited a prior interest in the UFO subject before their sighting.
Since some ufo sceptics highlight risks of misidentification, hoaxes and/or delusions arising from prior interest, I would have expected a more of the mistaken/IFO reports to be from individuals with a prior interest in UFOs than the
I was rather surprised to find that, according to Hendry’s figures, the results in relation to UFO witnesses were virtually identical to the results for IFO witnesses.
66 percent of UFO witnesses indicated a prior interest in UFOs, with 65 percent of IFO witnesses giving a similar indication. Similarly, 53 percent of IFO witnesses (within Hendry’s sample) stated that had read UFO books and magazines prior to their sighting – exactly the same percentage as for UFO witnesses within the same sample (see Footnote 18.01).
FOOTNOTES
[Footnote 18.01] Allan Hendry, “The UFO Handbook” (1979) at pages 89-90 (in Chapter 8) of the Sphere softback edition.