Intelligence, Belief in the Paranormal, Knowledge of Probability and Aging

Abstract

ABSTRACT In young adults, preparedness to accept improbable events as planned rather than due to chance is predictive of the level of belief in the paranormal, possibly underpinned by lower intelligence levels (Musch and Ehrenberg, 2002 Musch , J. & Ehrenberg , K. ( 2002 ). Probability misjudgment, cognitive ability, and belief in the paranormal . British Journal of Psychology , 93 , 169 – 177 . [PUBMED] [INFOTRIEVE] [CSA] [CROSSREF] [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The present study, using a sample of 73 older participants aged 60–84 years failed to find any relationship between age, intelligence, probability knowledge, and belief in the paranormal. The findings further question the assumptions that studies on knowledge and belief in younger adults can be unquestioningly transposed onto older adults. An explanatory model of the findings is presented.