Paranormal belief and attributional style.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Paranormal beliefs are widespread but their psychological correlates are not fully understood.
• Attributional style is a key factor in understanding depressive tendencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between paranormal belief and attributional style.
• To determine if paranormal belief is associated with a more depressive attributional style.

Main Methods:

• 52 college students participated in the study.
• Participants completed the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (1988) and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (1982).

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between paranormal belief scores and depressive attributional styles.
• High scorers on paranormal phenomena demonstrated significantly higher depressive attributional styles compared to low scorers.

Conclusions:

• Paranormal belief may be associated with a cognitive style that predisposes individuals to depression.
• Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms underlying this association.