Studies regarding suggestibility, belief and the paranormal

Field dependence, suggestibility and belief in paranormal phenomena
American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Jul 2003 by Hammond, D Corydon


Hergovich, A. (2003). Field dependence, suggestibility and belief in paranormal phenomena. Personality & Individual Differences, 34(2), 195-209.

The author conducted three experiments with 280 subjects (ages 17-68 years) examining relationships between field dependence, hypnotic suggestibility, and interrogative suggestibility (vulnerability to non-hypnotic social influence) and belief in paranormal phenomena.


In the first experiment, subjects underwent hypnosis to determine their hypnotic suggestibility. They also were administered a paranormal belief scale and a test of field dependence. Hypnotic suggestibility and field dependence had positive and significant correlations with the belief in the paranormal. In the second experiment, interrogative suggestibility was assessed and field dependence/independence was measured using the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) and the degree of paranormal belief using the paranormal belief scale of J. Tobacyk and G. Milford (1983). The results showed that more field-dependent and subjects with higher interrogative suggestibility have a greater belief in the paranormal than field-independent and non-suggestible subjects, although the relationship only held for the subscale "Superstition". Findings with respect to field dependence as measured with the EFT were replicated in the third experiment. Field dependence had a main effect on the amount of belief in "Superstition" across 3 different instructions. An effect of the different instructions suggesting that paranormal phenomena are scientifically proven (unproven) or an interaction between instructions and cognitive style could not be found.



The effect of pseudo-psychic demonstrations as dependent on belief in paranormal phenomena and suggestibility

Author(s)
HERGOVICH Andreas (1) ;

Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Institute of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebigg 5, Vienna 1010, AUTRICHE
Résumé / Abstract

This paper describes two experiments which investigate the effects of pseudo-psychic demonstrations (i.e. conjuring tricks which could be misinterpreted as genuine paranormal phenomena). In the first study, a demonstration of a supposed medium was presented to 91 subjects individually, in which the playing card selected by a subject was identified telepathically. It was found that hypnotic suggestibility and belief in paranormal phenomena had a large effect on how the demonstrations were assessed. Suggestible persons or believers in paranormal phenomena were more impressed by a phenomenon and were more likely to rule out the possibility of fraud than were persons who were less suggestible or believed less in paranormal phenomena. In the second study, two trick demonstrations were shown. In each case, half the subjects (n=68) were given the information that this was a magic trick, and the other half were told that this was a paranormal demonstration by a medium. The results with respect to belief in paranormal phenomena confirm the results of Study 1. Believers in paranormal phenomena, as compared with sceptics, tended to view the demonstrations as examples of paranormal phenomena, regardless of the information they had received, they tended to rule out the possibility of fraud and had a greater tendency to react with amazement. Interrogative suggestibility had no effect.

Interesting read that Tori. It just goes to show that people who are absolute believers will take everything they see at face value where as sceptics will think about what they are seeing in a more rational way and try to find explanations for everything before conceding that something's cannot be explained.

Even if you believe in the paranormal, you should always question the evidence so that you do in the end eliminate all rational possibilities.