The Noetic Experience and Belief Scale: A validation and reliability study

Abstract

Background: Belief in the paranormal is widespread worldwide. Recent surveys suggest that subjective experiences of the paranormal are common. A concise instrument that adequately evaluates beliefs as distinct from experiences does not currently exist. To address this gap, we created the Noetic Experiences and Beliefs Scale (NEBS) which evaluates belief and experience as separate constructs. Methods: The NEBS is a 20-item survey with 10 belief and 10 experience items rated on a visual analog scale from 0-100. In an observational study, the survey was administered to 361 general population adults in the United States and a subsample of 96 one month later. Validity, reliability and internal consistency were evaluated. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to confirm the latent variables of belief and experience. The survey was then administered to a sample of 646 IONS Discovery Lab participants to evaluate divergent validity and confirm belief and experience as latent variables of the model in a different population. Results: The NEBS demonstrated convergent validity, reliability and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha Belief 0.90; Experience 0.93) and test-retest reliability (Belief: r = 0.83; Experience: r = 0.77). A confirmatory factor analysis model with belief and experience as latent variables demonstrated a good fit. The factor model was confirmed as having a good fit and divergent validity was established in the sample of 646 IONS Discovery Lab participants. Conclusions: The NEBS is a short, valid, and reliable instrument for evaluating paranormal belief and experience.

A physiological examination of perceived incorporation during trance

“…Sensitivity scores reflected the channels being highly sensitive people (as opposed to non-sensitives) 56, 75 . Paranormal beliefs and experiences were much higher than observed in 350 general population respondents (beliefs - 59.3 ± 21.7; experience - 43.7 ± 25.3) as one would expect considering their channeling experiences 76 .…”

Paranormal Belief, Thinking Style and Delusion Formation: A Latent Profile Analysis of Within-Individual Variations in Experience-Based Paranormal Facets

“…Finally, the two constructs are not mutually inclusive. Hence, not all believers have had a corresponding experience, nor are all experiencers high in paranormal belief (Drinkwater et al, 2017a;Lange et al, 2019;Wahbeh et al, 2019). Indeed, individuals can label paranormal events as "supernatural" without any great faith or conviction (Drinkwater et al, 2013(Drinkwater et al, , 2017a.…”

Mapping relationships of nonordinary experiences and mental health: A network analysis in a representative Brazilian sample.

“…These experiences are common in general population samples (Barlev et al, 2021; Maraldi & Krippner, 2019; Monteiro de Barros et al, 2022; Pechey & Halligan, 2012) but remain poorly understood. Such experiences have been classified using a variety of labels, including paranormal (Brugger & Mohr, 2008), spiritual (Highland et al, 2021), extraordinary (Wahbeh et al, 2019), religious (Kapogiannis et al, 2009), supernatural (Rossano, 2020), anomalous (Moreira-Almeida & Lotufo-Neto, 2017) and nonordinary (Taves et al, 2019), with the associated interpretations of these experiences indicating mental disorders, extraordinary abilities, and talents or reflecting religious or spiritual states (Luhrmann, 2017; McCauley & Graham, 2020; Schmidt, 2014, 2015). What is unclear is how these experiences may be organized (which experiences are more likely to occur together with others) and how experiences and possible experience clusters relate to mental health.…”