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2012 Vol. 76(1) 79-108

Editor:
John A. Palmer, Ph.D.
Copyright: 
Parapsychology Press

Citation

Laythe, B. and Owen. K. (2012). Article. Paranormal Belief and the Strange Case of Haunt Experiences: Evidence of a Neglected Population. Journal of Parapsychology, 76(1), 79-108.

Article

Paranormal Belief and the Strange Case of Haunt Experiences: Evidence of a Neglected Population

Brian Laythe and Kay Owen

The current study examines the specific experiences of individuals who have reported haunt phenomena in the context of common paranormal belief measures. One hundred and sixty nine community college students completed online surveys assessing personality traits, cognitive functioning, Tobacyk’s (2004) measure of paranormal belief, Gallagher, Kumar, and Pekala’s (1994) Anomalous Experiences Inventory, and a measure designed for the current study to assess haunting experiences. Results using Spearman correlations show occasional and small relationships between paranormal belief measures and haunting experiences. Contrary to existing literature, t test findings show analytical and personality measures do not significantly differ between those who have experienced haunting phenomena and those who have not. We conclude that previous research in paranormal belief may not apply to individuals who have experienced haunting phenomena due to paranormal belief measures’ lack of content regarding haunting experiences.

Keywords:

paranormal belief, haunt experiences, personality, cognitive functioning

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