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Dissociation of the Confounding Influences of Expectancy and Integrative Difficulty Residing in Anomalous Sentences in Event-related Potential Studies
Published on: May 9, 2019
Sensitivity to coincidences and paranormal belief
Gergö Hadlaczky1, Joakim Westerlund
1National Prevention of Suicide and Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. gergo.hadlaczki@ki.se
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|March 13, 2012
Summary
Individuals more easily surprised by coincidences show higher paranormal belief. This suggests surprise thresholds influence belief in the unexplained, impacting how people interpret unusual events.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Psychology of Belief
Background:
- Coincidences often lack natural explanations, leading some to favor paranormal interpretations.
- Understanding the psychological factors influencing paranormal belief is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between surprise thresholds for coincidences and paranormal belief.
- To determine if individuals with a lower surprise threshold exhibit greater paranormal belief.
Main Methods:
- Participants rated the remarkability of artificial, formally defined probable and improbable coincidences.
- Paranormal belief was assessed using the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale.
- Statistical analysis examined the interaction between surprise thresholds and coincidence type.
Main Results:
- A significant interaction was found between Sheep-Goat scores and coincidence type.
- Individuals with lower surprise thresholds reported higher paranormal belief when experiencing coincidences.
Conclusions:
- Lower surprise thresholds are associated with a greater propensity for paranormal belief.
- The study provides insight into cognitive biases that may foster belief in the paranormal.
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