Belief in paranormal phenomena: Assessment instrument development and implications for personality functioning.

Abstract

A 25-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess belief in the paranormal was constructed based on the results from factor analysis of a 61-item pool administered to 391 college students. Factor analysis revealed seven independent dimensions comprising belief in the paranormal. These factors were Traditional Religious Belief, Psi Belief, Witchcraft, Superstition, Spiritualism, Extraordinary Life Forms, and Precognition. The Paranormal Scale was constructed by selecting either three or four marker items to represent each of the seven dimensions as paranormal subscales. Descriptive statistics for this Paranormal Scale and the seven subscales are presented, as well as reliability statistics. Studies were presented that support the validity of this Paranormal Scale and subscales with such personality/adjustment constructs as internal-external locus of control, sensation seeking, death threat, actual self-ideal self-concept, uncritical inferences, dogmatism, and irrational beliefs. It was concluded that this scale offers promise as an assessment instrument for paranormal belief.

Patterns of neural activity associated with honest and dishonest moral decisions

“…Exploratory results related to these questionnaires were inconclusive and are not reported here. To support our cover story, we also had subjects complete the Paranormal Belief Scale (38). Subjects were given detailed directions and completed a minimum of 8 practice trials to ensure task competence.…”

Reducing Pseudoscientific and Paranormal Beliefs in University Students Through a Course in Science and Critical Thinking

“…However, approximately 15% of Swedish high school students still showed a belief in superstitions and had high (77%) belief in precognition (Sjödin 2002). Similarly, Icelandic students showed disbelief in all paranormal subjects except precognition (Tobacyk and Milford 1983). Latvian students also showed a general disbelief in all paranormal subjects, with the exception of women having slightly higher belief in traditional religious beliefs (Utinans et al 2015).…”

“…The relation between religion and paranormal belief is complex, with religion being both a catalyst for and against paranormal beliefs. Eder et al (2011) found a significant correlation between traditional religious beliefs and belief in paranormal subjects, suggesting that, once a person believes in one supernatural subject (religion), it can be open to beliefs in other paranormal subjects (Tobacyk and Milford 1983). For example, Catholics, whose religion includes more supernatural beliefs than Protestants, exhibit higher belief in paranormal subjects (Duncan et al 1992;Orenstein 2002) and report 30% more paranormal experiences than Protestants (Mencken et al 2008).…”

Marco referencial de las creencias y experiencias paranormales y su relación con la esquizotipia positiva/negativa

“…Como algunos ítems de la Escala de Ideación Mágica incluyen elementos relacionados con los fenóme-nos paranormales, Tobacyk y Wil kinson (1990) investigaron la relación entre pensamiento mágico y creencias paranormales. En su estudio, el pensamiento mágico se evaluó mediante la Escala de Ideación Mágica (Eckblad y Chapman, 1983) y la creencia paranormal con la Escala de Creencias Paranormales de Tobacyk y Milford (1983).…”