Belief in the Paranormal

This work examines the formation, maintenance, and impact of belief in the paranormal and magical thinking. Much of this research has involved examining participants’ perception and memory of videotapes containing alleged psychic phenomena. Some of these studies have investigated the role that belief in the paranormal, demonstrating that believers tend to exhibit less accurate recall than disbelievers. Other work has focused on the relationship between such beliefs and verbal suggestion. Prof Wiseman has collaborated with Prof Matthew Smith (Liverpool Hope University) and Dr Emma Greening to examine the role of verbal suggestion during demonstrations of fake psychic phenomena, with results showing that believers tend to be more suggestible than disbelievers.

Selected references

Wiseman, R. & Watt, C. (2006). Belief in psychic ability and the misattribution hypothesis: A qualitative review. British Journal of Psychology, 97, 323-338.

Wiseman, R. & Watt, C. (2004). Measuring superstitious belief: Why lucky charms matter. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1533-1541.
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Wiseman R. & Greening, E. (2005). 'Its still bending': Verbal suggestion and alleged psychokinetic metal bending. British Journal of Psychology. 96(1), 115-127.

Wiseman, R., Greening, E., and Smith, M. (2003). Belief in the paranormal and suggestion in the seance room. British Journal of Psychology, 94(3), 285-297.

Wiseman, R. & Smith, M. D. (2002). Assessing the role of cognitive and motivational biases in belief in the paranormal. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 66, 178-186.

Wiseman, R. & Morris, R.L. (1995). Recalling pseudo-psychic demonstrations. British Journal of Psychology, 86, 113-125.