The Sociology of the Paranormal: A Reconnaissance

Empirically-Based Best Estimates of After-Death Communication (ADC) Phenomena: A Systematic Review of the Research

“…Although Kohr (1980) found no significant difference, three of the remaining four found a difference. Kalish and Reynolds (1973), Mack and Powell (2005), and MacDonald (1992) found that African Americans reported ADC significantly more frequently than Caucasians, and Greeley (1975) noted the same trend but through only the reporting of frequencies without analysis for statistical significance. Furthermore, MacDonald (1992) found that participants from both groups who reportedly viewed God as loving reported significantly more ADC than those who viewed God as punishing.…”

“…Regarding marital status, of the five methodologically strongest studies in which researchers reported results on this variable, three found those widowed to be more likely to report ADC: Palmer's (1979) study yielded statistically significant results, whereas Greeley (1975) and World Value Survey (1981-1984 reported frequency only. Kohr (1980) Post-death communication "Have you ever felt that you've had a message from a deceased friend or family member?…”

“…Regarding age, of the five methodologically strongest ADC studies in which researchers reported results on ADCr participants' ages, three- Kalish and Reynolds (1973), Kohr (1980), and MacDonald (1992)-yielded no statistically significant difference in reported occurrence of ADC, two- Greeley (1975) and Grimby (1993Grimby ( , 1998yielded a statistically non-significant tendency for older people to report more ADC, and one of those two- Greeley (1975)-also yielded a statistically non-significant tendency for teens to report more ADC. Thus, we concluded that people of all ages report ADC, with possibly somewhat more reports among the elderly.…”

“…Of the five methodologically strongest ADC studies in which researchers reported results on ADCr participants' sex, Kalish and Reynolds (1973), Mack and Powell (2005), and Haraldsson et al, 1977, US) found ADC prevalence to be significantly higher in women; Greeley (1975) reported greater frequency in women than men without analyzing for statistical significance of the difference; and Osis and Haraldsson (1977, US) found no difference between men and women, with prevalence being 50% for each. Thus, we concluded that both females and males report ADC and that females report it more than males do.…”

Cross-cultural research on anomalous experiences: Theoretical issues and methodological challenges.

“…After devising a questionnaire that differentiates reports of the experience of AEs (with a likely paranormal attribution) from possible paranormal attributions of the experience (the Survey of Anomalous Experiences [SAE]), Irwin and collaborators (2013) found all respondents (100%) reported at least one AE, an impressive statistic compared with many other prevalence studies in Europe and the United States (Castro, Burrows, & Wooffitt, 2014;Greeley, 1975;Haraldsson & Houtkooper, 1991;McClenon, 1988;Palmer, 1979;Ross & Joshi, 1992). Machado (2009) obtained a similar finding with Brazilian respondents (82.7%) after developing an original questionnaire (Questionnaire of Prevalence and Relevance of Psi Experiences [QPRP]) in which questions are framed with neutral, descriptive wording, without using terms such as telepathy or clairvoyance.…”