Explain, as best you can, how hysteria and the use of spectral evidence contributed to, or effected, the Salem Witch Trials.

Mass hysteria is the spontaneous manifestation of similar hysterical symptoms by a group. The Salem witch trials are a notable example in history of this occurrence, and thematically, it is central to the plot of The Crucible. Crowd psychology is a branch of social psychology which examines how ordinary people can typically gain direct power by acting collectively. The correlations between psychological mind control and coercion are central in The Crucible, as it is through these means that Abigail Williams convinces a group of seemingly innocent village girls to convict their neighbors, friends and foes to execution for witchcraft. The spectral evidence is of course not credible in any way. It merely reflects the narrative put forth by the witch court and others who have grievances against each other.