Don't cross the Streams

From the vertical bar graph, we observe a significant correlation between superstition and ESP belief scale scores. ESP belief is more frequent than other superstitious beliefs. There is a positive correlation between belief categories and cognitive style dimensions. Many people attribute their belief in paranormal phenomena to personal experience that appear to be telepathic, precognitive, or psychokinetic. From surveys, we consistently see how personal experiences are the primary reason why respondents believe in the paranormal. This can be understood considering the strong emotional impact of the experiences and the general lack of awareness about the many normal explanations for such occurrences (Alcock, J.E., 2000).

The horizontal bar graph shows a a positive association between the belief in ESP and the fear of death, meeting existing research. The external locus of control dimension is linked to chance or fatalism, but not with the dimension of powerful others or internality. Fear of death is positively linked to both fatalism and the external dimension of powerful others. whilst negatively associated with an internal locus of control. Some clinical psychologists view these experiences as delusions, correlating it to mental disorders. In contrast, psychologists with a more new-age perspective disagree with this association (Targ et al., 2000). 

The study found a tendency to use intuition is the best predictor of ESP beliefs. Those who rely more on intuitive thinking are more likely to believe in ESP. The cost and benefits of ESP beliefs are revealed to explore the possibility of changing these beliefs. More research needs to be carried out to understand the psychological determinants of ESP beliefs. Existing research such as the Ganzfeld experiments (from the 1970s), represent a significant milestone, dominating the field. Other exciting examples to share include remote viewing experiments, government-funded research (psychic spying), presentiment studies (physiological responses and unpredictable stimuli). 

Daryl Bem, a social psychologist and professor at Cornell University, is renowned for his experiments on precognition, the ability to perceive future events. His research delves into how people can sense salient events that cannot be predicted by known means. The United States has a rich history of research in this area, with notable examples including the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) and the Stargate Project. It is facinating to think about the impact paranormal psychology has on people, across time and space —thanks, Ghostbusters! 

ESP research continues in various forms, including neuroimaging studies and quantum approaches and will always continue to satisfy our curiosities. Another area to explore is the application of different statistical techniques. For instance, the Bayesian approach offers a more conservative and rigorous analysis compared to traditional p-values (Wagenmakers et al., 2011).