Transcript Answer the following question

Starter- mini boards
• Define Coincidence
• Explain one study into coincidence
Today
• Review- Coincidence
• Group work
Magical Thinking and Superstition
Blackmore
How many of these statements are true for you?
1. There is someone called Jack in my family.
2. I have a scar on my left knee.
3. Last night I dreamed of someone I haven’t seen for
many years.
4. I travel regularly in a white car.
5. I once broke my arm.
6. My back is giving me pain at the moment.
7. I am one of three children.
8. I own a CD of Handel’s Water Music.
9. I have a cat.
10. I have been to France in the past year.
Imagine that you stop the first person you come to in the
street and you ask this person questions; estimate how
many of the ten statements would be true for this person.
1. There is someone called Jack in my family.
2. I have a scar on my left knee.
3. Last night I dreamed of someone I haven’t seen for
many years.
4. I travel regularly in a white car.
5. I once broke my arm.
6. My back is giving me pain at the moment.
7. I am one of three children.
8. I own a CD of Handel’s Water Music.
9. I have a cat.
10. I have been to France in the past year.
Answer the following question
Harry had a dream last night about his aunt Susan.
She emigrated to Canada years ago and he has not
heard from her for three years. This morning, he
received a letter from his aunt saying that she was
going to visit. He thinks that he might have psychic
powers.
How might psychologists explain Harry’s
experience? Use your knowledge of the psychology
of coincidence in your answer. (4 marks)
Explanations for magical thinking and
superstitious behaviour
You need to read about the explanation and prepare a short presentation
/poster on your topic and the research
Explain the theory
Explain research into the theory
Evaluate the theory- Limitations in theory/ Limitation in
research/compare to others/fails to explain?
1. Contagion theory
2. Psychodynamic functions hypothesis (magical thinking)
3. Cognitive deficit hypothesis
4. Psychodynamic functions hypothesis (superstitious behaviour)
5. Operant conditioning
6. Cognitive –illusion of control
Starter- Questions
1. Outline Blackmore’s study into coincidence (3 marks)
2. Some people will say break a leg when wishing people
luck. This is common in the theatre. How might a
psychologist explain this superstitious behaviour? (3
marks)
3. How does the Cognitive deficit hypothesis explain
magical thinking? ( 2 marks)
4. The finding that people who have been victims of war
and trauma tend to demonstrate more paranormal
belief supports which explanation for magical
thinking/superstition? Why? (2 marks)
5. Briefly outline one study supporting a behaviourist
explanation of Superstition (3 marks)
Answers
1.Blackmore published a questionnaire in the daily
telegraph. It consisted of statements and participants had
to say firstly whether they were true for themselves and
secondly whether they would be true for a complete
stranger they stopped in the street.
The mean for themselves was 2.4 and for others it was 3.6.
This shows that individuals believe that the statements are
more likely to be true of others than they were to
themselves. This supports the notion that our judgements
are different towards others than ourselves and that we
may attribute paranormal explanations when personally
experiencing a coincidence.
Answers
2. Any of
 Psychodynamic functions hypothesis
 Behaviourist- operant conditioning
 Cognitive illusion
Answers continued
Irwin (1993)
People who engage in magical thinking are
illogical, foolish and irrational. They do not have
the necessary cognitive resources to think
logically. This is the preferred explanation by
sceptics
4. Psychodynamic functions hypothesis as the
individuals may now experience more anxiety or
view life as more chaotic. They also may
perceive themselves to have less control over
future events. Magical/superstitious thinking
them reduces the anxiety and offers a sense of
control.
5. Skinner (1847) –Pigeons are operant conditioned
and participate in ritual type behaviour that is not
actually related to receiving food such as turning
around clockwise.
Maute – Operant conditioning and negative
reinforcement. In a library participants believe a
button stopped the noise from the computer even
though it had nothing to do with it.
Personality questionnaire- Scoring
For all questions other than 7 and 9:
• Very unlikely = 1
Moderately unlikely = 2
Neither likely or unlikely = 3
Moderately likely = 4
Very likely = 5
For questions 7 and 9:
• Very unlikely = 5
Moderately unlikely = 4
Neither likely or unlikely = 3
Moderately likely = 2
Very likely = 1
Which did you score highest on?
Personality typesWhich do you think link to anomalous
experience?
Neuroticism
• How does this link to Psychodynamic
functions hypothesis?
Paranormal belief scale
• Do you remember your score?
• If not give yourself a score based on the following
7-14
15-21
22-29
30-37
37 +
Complete sceptic
Sceptical
in the middle
I believe
Very superstitious
Correlation- Neuroticism and
Paranormal belief
How does this link to Wiseman and Watt (2004)
and Williams et al 2007?
Ground these in your packs
Study
Look at each row of words and write down a way
that you can connect the two words
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Potato
Pencil
Car
Italy
Deck chair
Computer
marriage
piccolo
train track
paint
hole punch
monkey
Self assessment
Look at your words
How creative were you on a scale from 1-5?
Does this link to your paranormal belief?
Gianotti et al
In the Gianotti et al study the links were rated
for creativity.
This score was then correlated with the
individual’s belief in the paranormal.
There was a positive link between belief in the
paranormal and originality of the links.
Methodological issues
• How can we truly measure or operationalise
creativity?
• What are the issues with correlations?
• How might social sensitivity link here?
Pair work
Using Ipads/smart devices
Research the Personality factors and make notes
on
1. How they link to anomalistic experience
2. Research studies to support