Citation

The present research had several objectives: (1) to adapt Tobacyk’s (1988) Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale (RPBS) into Spanish in order to make cross-cultural comparisons possible, (2) to test the reliability and dimensionality of the instrument and check if the previously found dimensions are replicated with Spanish-speaking participants, and (3) to test the hypothesis of the nonequivalence in paranormal beliefs across fields of study groups. The study included 355 students from six university departments, both scientific and nonscientific. The results showed the questionnaire is highly reliable although not additive within our sample. We found a set of conceptually valid first-order empiric dimensions that replicated the findings of two earlier studies, and two second-order factors in line with results of a third study. In addition, differences among students from different fields of study were found, suggesting that training in scientific method produces differences in paranormal beliefs. Cross-cultural research based on this questionnaire is possible.