Misinformation Effects for Psychic Readings and Belief in the Paranormal

Wilson, Krissy and French, Christopher C.. 2008. Misinformation Effects for Psychic Readings and Belief in the Paranormal. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 28(2), pp. 155-171. ISSN 0276-2366 [Article]

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Abstract or Description

Forty participants watched a video of an alleged psychic giving a reading to a client, followed by 1 of 2 versions of a post-reading interview with the client, describing her reaction to the reading. In fact, both the reading and the post-reading interviews were scripted. In one version of the interview, the client incorrectly recalled an item of information that the psychic had given her, and in the second version she correctly recalled what the psychic had said. Participants' level of belief in the paranormal and recall of the reading were assessed. It had been hypothesized that believers would be more susceptible to a misinformation effect in this context. In fact, the believers' recall of the reading was inaccurate even without exposure to misinformation. Non-believers remembered the reading quite accurately when not exposed to misinformation but their recall was as poor as that of the believers when exposed to misinformation.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.2190/IC.28.2.d

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
2008Published

Item ID:

5124

Date Deposited:

07 Mar 2011 15:21

Last Modified:

03 Aug 2017 10:24

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/5124

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