Paranormal events are alleged to occur in the world around us. They are often purported to be outside of the current scientific understanding of the world, and are found in folklore, mythology, and other non-scientific knowledge bodies.
The paranormal is commonly divided into two categories: the supernatural and the normal. The supernatural includes such phenomena as hauntings, ghosts, apparitions, spirits, and telepathy.
Belief in the paranormal is often a positive experience. It may involve a belief that a spirit is alive, or a spirit’s intention is behind a person’s movements. There are also reports of people seeing hidden faces in photographs.
A variety of research methods have been used to investigate beliefs in the paranormal. Some researchers use an anecdotal approach, collecting and examining stories of people experiencing the paranormal. Others adopt a scientific method, using technology to test a phenomenon.
Researchers in the academic community have delved deeply into the subject. These efforts have resulted in a number of scales for measuring beliefs in the paranormal. Those items include the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale and the Survey of Scientifically Unaccepted Beliefs.
Researchers have also investigated cognitive thinking styles as a predictor of a belief in the paranormal. One such study involved the University of Toulouse. To determine whether cognitive thinking styles are a reliable indicator of a person’s beliefs, a team of academics invited a group of university students to participate in an experiment.
Respondents were asked to view animations of moving shapes. Participants were categorized into four quartiles: “agree,” “strongly agree,” “disagree,” and “uncertain.” Based on the results, the team concluded that “agree” and “strongly agree” responses were more strongly associated with the belief in the paranormal.