Paranormal

@misc{hansel1984the1,
    author = "Hansel, C. E. M",
    title = "The Evidence for ESP",
    year = "1984",
    howpublished = "A Critique: Skeptical Inquirer, v. 8, no. 4, p. 322-328",
    note = "talkorigins\_source = {true}; raw\_reference = {Hansel, C. E. M., 1984, The Evidence for ESP: A Critique: Skeptical Inquirer, v. 8, no. 4, p. 322-328.}"
}

@incollection{crossref19972,
    title = "2 WHITE CROWS ABOUNDING: EVIDENCE FOR THE PARANORMAL",
    year = "1997",
    booktitle = "Parapsychology, Philosophy, and Spirituality",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1515/9781438404851-005",
    doi = "10.1515/9781438404851-005",
    pages = "41-95"
}

@article{crossref1998skepticism,
    title = "Skepticism and evidence of the paranormal",
    year = "1998",
    journal = "Journal of Near-Death Studies",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.17514/jnds-1998-17-2-p133-136.",
    doi = "10.17514/jnds-1998-17-2-p133-136.",
    number = "2",
    volume = "17"
}

@article{bem2016evaluating,
    author = "Bem, Daryl",
    title = "Evaluating the Evidence for Paranormal PhenomenaEvaluating the Evidence for Paranormal Phenomena",
    year = "2016",
    journal = "PsycCRITIQUES",
    url = "https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040324",
    doi = "10.1037/a0040324",
    number = "2222",
    volume = "6161"
}

Even though wide access to any warranted information in the modern age, the problem of unfounded belief is still relevant, since these beliefs often lead to negative consequences (e.g., vaccination refusal, homeopathic treatment, etc.). The aim of this study was testing the relationship of social worldviews with paranormal beliefs and conspiracy beliefs. We assumed dimensionality hypothesis based on functional standpoint that there should be a general factor (underlying all the domains of paranormal beliefs and generic conspiracist beliefs), which has associations with the social worldviews as well. Derived our analysis from the survey of 228 participants (Mage = 30.6, SD = 11.7), we found that (a) the structure of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs can be described by a bifactor model; (b) the general factor of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs in the bifactor model was positively associated with global belief in just world and dangerous worldview; (c) paranormal beliefs were positively associated with global belief in just world and negatively associated with competitive worldview; (d) generic conspiracist beliefs were positively associated with dangerous worldview, competitive worldview, and zero-sum game belief; (e) contrary to our hypotheses, there was no evidence for any negative association of paranormal beliefs with dangerous worldview or zero-sum game belief and for any negative association of generic conspiracist beliefs with global belief in just world. We claim that the unfounded beliefs can be of some functional nature, demonstrating a connection with social worldviews, which opens up new perspectives for considering this problem within the framework of social psychology.

@article{doi101017sjp202318,
    author = "Grigoryev, Dmitry and Gallyamova, Albina",
    title = "Social Worldviews Predict the General Factor of Paranormal and Generic Conspiracist Beliefs.",
    year = "2023",
    journal = "The Spanish journal of psychology",
    abstract = "Even though wide access to any warranted information in the modern age, the problem of unfounded belief is still relevant, since these beliefs often lead to negative consequences (e.g., vaccination refusal, homeopathic treatment, etc.). The aim of this study was testing the relationship of social worldviews with paranormal beliefs and conspiracy beliefs. We assumed dimensionality hypothesis based on functional standpoint that there should be a general factor (underlying all the domains of paranormal beliefs and generic conspiracist beliefs), which has associations with the social worldviews as well. Derived our analysis from the survey of 228 participants (Mage = 30.6, SD = 11.7), we found that (a) the structure of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs can be described by a bifactor model; (b) the general factor of paranormal and generic conspiracist beliefs in the bifactor model was positively associated with global belief in just world and dangerous worldview; (c) paranormal beliefs were positively associated with global belief in just world and negatively associated with competitive worldview; (d) generic conspiracist beliefs were positively associated with dangerous worldview, competitive worldview, and zero-sum game belief; (e) contrary to our hypotheses, there was no evidence for any negative association of paranormal beliefs with dangerous worldview or zero-sum game belief and for any negative association of generic conspiracist beliefs with global belief in just world. We claim that the unfounded beliefs can be of some functional nature, demonstrating a connection with social worldviews, which opens up new perspectives for considering this problem within the framework of social psychology.",
    url = "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37357156/",
    doi = "10.1017/SJP.2023.18",
    pmid = "37357156"
}

Paranormal beliefs encompass a wide variety of phenomena, including the existence of supernatural entities such as ghosts and witches, as well as extraordinary human abilities such as telepathy and clairvoyance. In the current study, we used a nationally representative sample (N = 2534) to investigate the presence and correlates of paranormal beliefs among the secular Dutch population. The results indicated that most single paranormal phenomena (e.g. belief in clairvoyance) are endorsed by 10-20% of Dutch respondents; however, 55.6% of respondents qualify as paranormal believers based on the preregistered criterion that they believe in at least one phenomenon with considerable certainty. In addition, we invited four analysis teams with different methodological expertise to assess the structure of paranormal beliefs using traditional factor analysis, network analysis, Bayesian network analysis and latent class analysis (LCA). The teams' analyses indicated adequate fit of a four-factor structure reported in a 1985 study, but also emphasized different conclusions across techniques; network analyses showed evidence against strong connectedness within most clusters, and suggested a five-cluster structure. The application of various analytic techniques painted a nuanced picture of paranormal beliefs and believers in The Netherlands and suggests that despite increased secularization, subgroups of the general population still believe in paranormal phenomena.

@article{doi101098rsos240049,
    author = "Hoogeveen, S and Borsboom, D and Kucharský, Š and Marsman, M and Molenaar, D and de Ron, J and Sekulovski, N and Visser, I and van Elk, M and Wagenmakers, E-J",
    title = "Prevalence, patterns and predictors of paranormal beliefs in The Netherlands: a several-analysts approach.",
    year = "2024",
    journal = "Royal Society open science",
    abstract = "Paranormal beliefs encompass a wide variety of phenomena, including the existence of supernatural entities such as ghosts and witches, as well as extraordinary human abilities such as telepathy and clairvoyance. In the current study, we used a nationally representative sample (N = 2534) to investigate the presence and correlates of paranormal beliefs among the secular Dutch population. The results indicated that most single paranormal phenomena (e.g. belief in clairvoyance) are endorsed by 10-20\% of Dutch respondents; however, 55.6\% of respondents qualify as paranormal believers based on the preregistered criterion that they believe in at least one phenomenon with considerable certainty. In addition, we invited four analysis teams with different methodological expertise to assess the structure of paranormal beliefs using traditional factor analysis, network analysis, Bayesian network analysis and latent class analysis (LCA). The teams' analyses indicated adequate fit of a four-factor structure reported in a 1985 study, but also emphasized different conclusions across techniques; network analyses showed evidence against strong connectedness within most clusters, and suggested a five-cluster structure. The application of various analytic techniques painted a nuanced picture of paranormal beliefs and believers in The Netherlands and suggests that despite increased secularization, subgroups of the general population still believe in paranormal phenomena.",
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11371428/",
    doi = "10.1098/rsos.240049",
    pmcid = "PMC11371428",
    pmid = "39233722"
}

The study of epistemically unwarranted beliefs (EUB) (i.e., paranormal, pseudoscientific and conspiracy beliefs) has become relevant due to the negative effects they have produced on people's health, as evidenced in the covid-19 pandemic. However, there is no instrument with appropriate and updated validity evidence for its evaluation in Latin American people. Because of this, the present study aims to develop a brief scale to analyze general epistemically unwarranted beliefs that do not depend on local factors. A total of 634 adults from five Chilean cities participated in the study of whom 93.8% (n = 575) were university students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the final structure of the Epistemically Unwarranted Beliefs Scale (EUBS) considers 9 items with three related factors. In addition, results showed good internal consistency (CFI >.95; TLI >.95; RMSEA <.07), gender invariance, and evidence of validity based on the inverse relation with the cognitive reflection test and the relationship with sociodemographic variables (i.e., gender, political orientation, and religious orientation). Finally, implications for the theoretical construct and possible limitations of the scale are discussed.

@article{doi101371journalpone0333911,
    author = "Ferrer-Urbina, Rodrigo and Elgueta, Herman and Carmona-Halty, Marcos and Sepúlveda-Paez, Geraldy and Alarcón-Castillo, Karina",
    title = "Epistemically unwarranted beliefs scale, development and evidence of validity in the Chilean population.",
    year = "2025",
    journal = "PloS one",
    abstract = "The study of epistemically unwarranted beliefs (EUB) (i.e., paranormal, pseudoscientific and conspiracy beliefs) has become relevant due to the negative effects they have produced on people's health, as evidenced in the covid-19 pandemic. However, there is no instrument with appropriate and updated validity evidence for its evaluation in Latin American people. Because of this, the present study aims to develop a brief scale to analyze general epistemically unwarranted beliefs that do not depend on local factors. A total of 634 adults from five Chilean cities participated in the study of whom 93.8\% (n = 575) were university students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the final structure of the Epistemically Unwarranted Beliefs Scale (EUBS) considers 9 items with three related factors. In addition, results showed good internal consistency (CFI >.95; TLI >.95; RMSEA <.07), gender invariance, and evidence of validity based on the inverse relation with the cognitive reflection test and the relationship with sociodemographic variables (i.e., gender, political orientation, and religious orientation). Finally, implications for the theoretical construct and possible limitations of the scale are discussed.",
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12551922/",
    doi = "10.1371/journal.pone.0333911",
    pmcid = "PMC12551922",
    pmid = "41134805"
}

Scientific scepticism, as an epistemic orientation, remains under-researched. This study investigated the interplay between belief in science, supernatural credence, and cognitive processing styles in a sample of 300 participants (M age = 45.95, SD = 14.32). Traditional (TPB) and New Age (NAP) paranormal beliefs correlated positively with intuitive-experiential measures and negatively with analytical-rational processing indices. Belief in Science showed the inverse pattern of relationships. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified two distinct subgroups: Higher Evidence-based Thinking (HET; 55%), defined by high scientific and low paranormal belief, and Lower Evidence-based Thinking (LET; 45%), characterized by low scientific and high paranormal belief. HET (vs. LET) participants demonstrated significantly greater analytical-rational and lower intuitive-experiential processing. Cognitive rigidity (dogmatism and need for closure) did not differentiate between profiles, suggesting these are belief-neutral characteristics of strongly held convictions. Findings indicated that scientific and paranormal beliefs represent oppositional worldviews associated with distinct, preferred modes of information processing.

@article{doi103389fpsyg20261699045,
    author = "Dagnall, Neil and Denovan, Andrew and Murphy-Morgan, Claire and Drinkwater, Kenneth Graham and Powell, Danny and Neave, Nick",
    title = "Mind over matter? The cognitive styles of scientific scepticism and paranormal belief.",
    year = "2026",
    journal = "Frontiers in psychology",
    abstract = "Scientific scepticism, as an epistemic orientation, remains under-researched. This study investigated the interplay between belief in science, supernatural credence, and cognitive processing styles in a sample of 300 participants (M age = 45.95, SD = 14.32). Traditional (TPB) and New Age (NAP) paranormal beliefs correlated positively with intuitive-experiential measures and negatively with analytical-rational processing indices. Belief in Science showed the inverse pattern of relationships. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified two distinct subgroups: Higher Evidence-based Thinking (HET; 55\%), defined by high scientific and low paranormal belief, and Lower Evidence-based Thinking (LET; 45\%), characterized by low scientific and high paranormal belief. HET (vs. LET) participants demonstrated significantly greater analytical-rational and lower intuitive-experiential processing. Cognitive rigidity (dogmatism and need for closure) did not differentiate between profiles, suggesting these are belief-neutral characteristics of strongly held convictions. Findings indicated that scientific and paranormal beliefs represent oppositional worldviews associated with distinct, preferred modes of information processing.",
    url = "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13002858/",
    doi = "10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1699045",
    pmcid = "PMC13002858",
    pmid = "41868003"
}