parapsychology Flashcards
Anomalistic Psychology Definition:
Goldsmiths University of London:
“Anomalistic psychology may be defined as the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and experience, including (but not restricted to) those which are often labelled “paranormal”. It is directed towards understanding bizarre experiences that many people have without assuming a priori that there is anything paranormal involved. It entails attempting to explain paranormal and related beliefs and ostensibly paranormal experiences in terms of known psychological and physical factors.”
The Controversy of What is ‘Paranormal’:
Northcote (2007):
* “The history of paranormal/occult ideas reveals that boundaries between science, religion & the occult / paranormal have long been fluid, negotiable & contentious”
Example - Sleep Paralysis:
- Work of demons (incubi)
- Cross culturally experienced (e.g. old Hag, jinn, ghost, alien abduction, etc)
- Dysfunction of REM / waking state
The Controversy of the Paranormal (in Western Culture):
- Enlightenment rationality vs irrational
- Modernity vs per modernity
- Hume (1963[1741]) “superstition is the enemy of civil liberty “and “produces the most cruel disorders in human society”
- Superseded ‘supernormal phenomena’ as a category around the 1920’s
- A Western ontological category
- Non-Western countries may have a different definition
- E.g. Hess (1991) Brazilian study
Dr David Luke: Cultures & Paranormal Belief
“In some cultures, such as Madagascar, mediumship dominates politics, although, in such cases the only politicians considered to be any good are dead ones. And preferably dead from a long time ago. In Madagascar the most important political decisions are made solely by the ancestors. Conveniently this done through spirit mediums”
Why Should Psychologists/People be Interested in the Paranormal?
Increasing public interests in the paranormal -> Reflected in modern culture
Which Psychologist is Most Associated with Research on Paranormal Belief (PB)?
Irwin (2009)
* since 1993 has organised into 4 ‘hypotheses’
Irwin’s (2009) 4 Hypotheses
- world view hypothesis
- cognitive deficit hypothesis
- social marginality hypothesis
- psychodynamic hypothesis
What is the World View Hypothesis?
- emphasises that PB is one aspect of a broader world view that’s characterised by a highly subjective & esoteric outlook
- draws attention to the subjective experience of the paranormal
What is the World View Hypothesis Related to?
Related to:
* Dualist (especially New Age) beliefs
* interest in subjective experiences - e.g. dreams
* expansion of consciousness - e.g. meditation
Paranormal Belief vs Religious Belief
Tobayck & Milford:
* traditional religious belief pos correlates with belief in precognition & witchcraft
Clarke (1991):
* PB pos correlates with psychic healing & UFO healing
Criticism of PB pos correlating with Religious Belief
Thalbourne (2003):
* notes this is a weak correlation
Other Beliefs:
- psi belief correlates with a dualist view of the world
- and with belief in life after death
- have in inclination to interpret dreams (Haraldsson, 1981)
- be self-reflective and devote more time to subjective experiences (Davies, 1985)
What does psi mean in Parapsychology?
psi is the unknown factor in extrasensory perception and psychokinesis experiences that is not explained by known physical or biological mechanisms
Criticisms of the World View Hypothesis?
- difficult to test
- can be vague
Cognitive Deficit Hypothesis
(Irwin, 2009):
* expect PBers to be cognitively inferior
* individuals who are prone to belief in the paranormal lack the skills and abilities associated with ordinary cognition (van Elk, 2017)
include citations & 1 criticism
CDH: Studies have investigated supposed differences in:
- Educational attainment (e.g. Emmons & Sobal, 1981)
- Science education (e.g. Diaz-Vilela & Alverez-Gonzalez, 2004)
- Performance on intelligence tests (e.g. Killen, Wildman & Wildman, 1974)
- Reasoning skills
- Accuracy in probability judgements
- Perceptual ability
- But findings are at best equivocal (ambiguous) (Irwin, 2009)
What is ESP?
Extra-sensory perception (ESP):
* ‘anomalous processes of information or energy transfer, processes such as telepathy… that are currently unexplained in terms of known physical or biological mechanisms’ (Bem & Honorton, 1994)
3 Studies & 1 Criticism of Them
CDH: Studies into PB & Reasoning Skills
Polzella et al. (1975):
* ESP believers less successful at syllogisms
Alcock and Otis (1980):
* believers in psi have poorer critical thinking skills
Wierzbicki (1990):
* global paranormal belief related to syllogism problem solving
However:
* studies by parapsychologists have failed to replicate some of these findings (i.e. motivational factors may be play a role in how people perform)
* e.g. Roe (1999); Watt & Wiseman (2002)
Define Probability Misjudgement
Brugger et al (1991):
* “belief in ESP might thus arisefrom the overestimation of the meaningfulness of naturally occurring coincidence”
* e.g. dreaming of friend you haven’t seen for a long time and then you bump into them
Research into Probability Misjudgement
Blackmore (1997):
* found no sig difference between PBs & non-PBs in “real life” cases
However: Bressan et al (2008):
* found that PBers used different standards rather than understood probability less
People’s choices tend to be…
People’s choices tend not to be random but instead can be quite predictable, especially when they are trying to behave randomly
Pareidolia: 2 Types
- pattern recognition
- auditory
Example of pattern recognition pareidolia
The “Brown Lady”
