The psychology of the impossible: using magic to investigate effects of verbal suggestion, thinking styles, supernatural beliefs and dissociation proneness on the memory of an extraordinary event (2019)
- Authors:
- USP affiliated authors: ZANGARI, WELLINGTON - IP ; SOMERA, VITOR - IP ; MARTINS, LEONARDO BRENO - IP
- Unidade: IP
- Subjects: PARAPSICOLOGIA; SUGESTIONABILIDADE; MEMÓRIA
- Language: Inglês
- Abstract: INTRODUCTION: In recent decades, psychology has recovered its interest in religious and anomalous experiences. Relevant related topics include the effects of social influence on extraordinary experiences and beliefs, the role of prior religious beliefs and styles of thinking on the memory of anomalous experiences, the possible connection between dissociation proneness and paranormal beliefs, among others. This article proposes to expand known studies about the matter and to include Brazilian samples, which is important because of the high prevalence and complexity of religious phenomena in Brazil. Objective: The research aimed to understand variables and processes underlying the formation of memories and beliefs related to an extraordinary event under different scenarios of verbal suggestion. METHOD: In a quantitative and qualitative study, 180 adult Brazilian volunteers divided into several experimental and control groups were presented to a video in which a false "psychic" simulates bending a fork on the table allegedly with the "power of his mind", but using, in fact, a magic trick. To measure the effect of the verbal suggestion, half of the volunteers heard the fake psychic suggesting that the bending continued to occur on the table (when, in fact, the fork was static there), while the other half watched the same video without such audio. At the same time, one-third of each group had among the participants an actor who commented out loud that the bending is happening. Another third had the same actor commenting that the bending is not happening. And the last third did not have the actor in the group. After the video presentation, the effects of the different forms of verbal suggestion on the memory and the testimony of the volunteers about the fork bending were investigated through a scale. Other scales were applied to measure the other variables of interest. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In addition to the effects of verbal suggestion (Continua)(Continuação) on participants' memory and belief-changing, the effects of dissociation proneness, styles of thinking, previous religious and paranormal beliefs, age, gender and group affiliation of the participants are presented and discussed. The acuity of the testimonies and the levels of trust of the volunteers about it are also discussed. Finally, the results are compared with the findings of similar research conducted in the United Kingdom, which is useful for discussing similarities and cultural differences in this regard. There are direct implications of these results for the understanding of the formation process of memory and testimonies in everyday situations about events with emotional impact such as accidents, crimes and spontaneous religious or anomalous experiences
- Imprenta:
- Publisher: Athens Institute for Education and Research
- Publisher place: Atenas
- Date published: 2019
- Source:
- Título do periódico: Abstract Book
- Volume/Número/Paginação/Ano: 55 p
- Conference titles: Annual International Conference on Psychology
-
ABNT
MARTINS, Leonardo Breno e ZANGARI, Wellington e SOMERA, Vitor. The psychology of the impossible: using magic to investigate effects of verbal suggestion, thinking styles, supernatural beliefs and dissociation proneness on the memory of an extraordinary event. 2019, Anais.. Atenas: Athens Institute for Education and Research, 2019. . Acesso em: 18 abr. 2024. -
APA
Martins, L. B., Zangari, W., & Somera, V. (2019). The psychology of the impossible: using magic to investigate effects of verbal suggestion, thinking styles, supernatural beliefs and dissociation proneness on the memory of an extraordinary event. In Abstract Book. Atenas: Athens Institute for Education and Research. -
NLM
Martins LB, Zangari W, Somera V. The psychology of the impossible: using magic to investigate effects of verbal suggestion, thinking styles, supernatural beliefs and dissociation proneness on the memory of an extraordinary event. Abstract Book. 2019 ;[citado 2024 abr. 18 ] -
Vancouver
Martins LB, Zangari W, Somera V. The psychology of the impossible: using magic to investigate effects of verbal suggestion, thinking styles, supernatural beliefs and dissociation proneness on the memory of an extraordinary event. Abstract Book. 2019 ;[citado 2024 abr. 18 ] - Religious and secular spirituality: methodological implications of definitions for health research
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