Alien psychology: Associations between extraterrestrial beliefs and paranormal ideation, superstitious beliefs, schizotypy, and the Big Five personality factors

Abstract

This study examined the associations between the belief that intelligent extraterrestrial life has visited Earth and that governmental agencies have knowledge of this fact and various individual psychological difference factors. A total of 433 participants completed measures of extraterrestrial beliefs, paranormal beliefs, superstitious ideation, schizotypy, the Big Five personality factors, and demographic variables. Results showed that extraterrestrial beliefs were significantly predicted by paranormal beliefs, the unusual experience factor of schizotypy, Openness to Experience, and education. These results are discussed in relation to work suggesting that an individual differences approach may be useful to clarifying the underlying processes that give rise to extraterrestrial beliefs.

Reducing Pseudoscientific and Paranormal Beliefs in University Students Through a Course in Science and Critical Thinking

“…In addition, Newby and Davis (2004) found a link between Locus of Control and New Age paranormal beliefs (reincarnation, astrology, precognition, and witchcraft) with people exhibiting higher views of external control having higher beliefs in these subjects. Similarly, people who report being abducted by aliens score high on tests of fantasy proneness, psychological absorption and childhood imaginings, and introversion (Parnell 1988;Parnell and Sprinkle 1990;Swami et al 2011). Sharps et al (2010) also found that increased paranormal belief was associated with increased dissociative thinking (lower analytical or fact-based thinking processes and higher intuitive or gestalt thinking).…”

“…Several psychological measures are correlated with increased belief in the paranormal (Hergovich et al 2008;Swami et al 2011), including views of external control (Newby and Davis 2004), magical ideation and referential thinking (Eckblad and Chapman 1983;Lenzenweger et al 1997), and introversion (i.e., absorption; Tellegen and Atkinson 1974;Lobato et al 2014). This study also found an association between these psychological measurements and students' pre-course paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs.…”

“…These psychological tests included the Locus of Control (Rotter 1966), a measure of the relative internal vs. external control a person imparts to their life; Magical Ideation (Eckblad and Chapman 1983), a measurement of belief in magically controlled causation; Referential Thinking (Lenzenweger et al 1997), an index of how likely an individual is to perceive unrelated events as pertaining directly to themselves; and a Tellegen Absorption Scale (Tellegen and Atkinson 1974) which includes three submeasures: absorption (complete attention to a subject/object, either real or fantasy), stability (ability to alter impulses based on the situation), and introversion (impulse resistance/expression). Each of these tests has been linked to beliefs in paranormal and/or pseudoscientific beliefs (Peltzer 2003;Swami et al 2011;Lobato et al 2014).…”

Schizotypal traits and their relation to rejection sensitivity in the general population: Their mediation by quality of life, agreeableness and neuroticism

“…This association could be explained by certain personality traits, such as neuroticism. Cognitive disorganisation, which includes social anxiety, is associated with neuroticism (a preoccupation with negative affect) more than any other personality trait from the five-factor model (Swamih et al, 2011). Schizotypal traits denoting social avoidance, that is negative schizotypy, are associated with lower extraversion and agreeableness (Kwapil et al, 2008;Swamih et al 2011).…”

“…Cognitive disorganisation, which includes social anxiety, is associated with neuroticism (a preoccupation with negative affect) more than any other personality trait from the five-factor model (Swamih et al, 2011). Schizotypal traits denoting social avoidance, that is negative schizotypy, are associated with lower extraversion and agreeableness (Kwapil et al, 2008;Swamih et al 2011). Neuroticism could relate to RS (Berenson et al, 2009), but also mediate the link between negative schizotypy and RS by increasing early attention to rejection scenes, as defined by the P300 eventrelated potential (Premkumar et al, 2015).…”