Paranormal is the term used to describe experiences or occurrences that go against what’s considered normal. That includes ESP, ghosts and UFOs.
The field of paranormal research is very interdisciplinary and draws researchers from many different fields. This includes scientists, philosophers, anthropologists, historians and psychologists.
A career in the paranormal can be exciting and enlightening, especially for those who enjoy investigating unexplained mysteries or researching out-of-the-ordinary events. However, it’s important to be aware of the professional responsibilities that come with this field.
In this episode, we speak with Chris French, PhD, who is head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, about the psychology behind strange stuff, including ghostly visitations, alien abductions, ESP and more. He also explains how skepticism and science can help test and evaluate paranormal claims.
He explains how the process of belief formation is not simple. It involves a complex interaction between experience, cognitive-perceptual processes and emotional states.
He suggests that it’s possible to make some progress on understanding the nature of the relationship between experiential factors and belief by conducting studies that preselect and compare heterogeneous groups of participants. This will help explain how within-individual variations in paranormal experiences are related to belief in the paranormal, preferential thinking style, and delusion formation.