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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

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Schizotypy, self-referential thinking and the Barnum effect.

Oliver J Mason1, Katie Budge

  • 1Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1N 6BT, United Kingdom. o.mason@ucl.ac.uk

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|February 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

People readily accept vague personality descriptions, a phenomenon known as the Barnum effect. This study found that self-referential thinking and schizotypy significantly predict this tendency.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Personality Psychology

Background:

  • The Barnum effect describes the tendency for individuals to accept vague personality descriptions as accurate self-assessments.
  • This phenomenon is well-documented but its underlying psychological predictors require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether individual differences in self-referential thinking and schizotypy predict the Barnum effect.
  • To explore the generalizability of these predictors across various Barnum effect measures.

Main Methods:

  • 130 participants completed multiple measures assessing the Barnum effect.
  • Participants also underwent assessments for schizotypy and self-referential thinking.

Main Results:

  • Both self-referential thinking and positive schizotypy independently predicted agreement with Barnum effect measures.
  • This predictive relationship held true for favorable and unfavorable descriptions, as well as computer-generated and horoscope-based readings.

Conclusions:

  • Self-referential thinking and schizotypy are significant contributors to the Barnum effect.
  • These findings advance our understanding of the cognitive and personality factors underlying susceptibility to generalized personality assessments.