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Critical thinking and belief in the paranormal: a re-evaluation
1Division of Psychology, Nene University College Northampton, UK.
British Journal of Psychology (London, England : 1953)
|March 23, 1999
Summary
Belief in the paranormal does not correlate with poor critical thinking. This study found no difference in evaluating experimental abstracts between believers and disbelievers, challenging prior research.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Previous research suggested paranormal belief correlates with impaired critical thinking, particularly in evaluating scientific abstracts.
- Alternative explanations, such as cognitive dissonance or experimental artifacts, were proposed for these observed differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the link between paranormal belief and critical thinking ability.
- To investigate the role of cognitive dissonance in evaluating scientific abstracts related to parapsychology.
Main Methods:
- 117 participants were categorized as believers, neutrals, or disbelievers.
- Participants evaluated experimental abstracts that were either sympathetic or unsympathetic to parapsychology.
- The study aimed to address methodological limitations of prior research.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found in the assessment ratings of abstracts between believers and disbelievers.
- The findings failed to replicate the claimed effect of paranormal belief on critical thinking.
- Participants rated abstracts incongruent with their beliefs as less competent, supporting the cognitive dissonance account.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find evidence that paranormal belief is associated with poor critical thinking skills in evaluating scientific abstracts.
- Results suggest that cognitive dissonance, rather than a deficit in critical thinking, may explain differential performance in evaluating belief-congruent or incongruent research.
- Methodological artifacts may have influenced previous findings in this area.
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