Psychological Reports

Magazine Overview

This document is an excerpt from "Psychological Reports," Volume 54, published in 1984. The article, titled "EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND PRIMARY BELIEFS ABOUT UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS HELD BY RECOGNIZED UFOLOGISTS," is authored by Gregory L. Little, affiliated with Mental Health Services at the Shelby County Correction Center.

Article Summary

The study by Gregory L. Little investigates the educational backgrounds and primary beliefs of 102 recognized ufologists concerning the nature of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). The research aimed to explore these primary beliefs and the influence of education on them.

Methodology

Subjects for the study were selected from "The Encyclopedia of UFOs," considered a comprehensive reference source in ufology. The study included individuals generally regarded as notable personalities and leading investigators in the UFO field. Information gathered from biographical sketches included age, education level, and academic area. Primary beliefs about the origin of UFOs were independently classified from personal "POSITION STATEMENTS" provided in the encyclopedia. Only living individuals at the time of the sourcebook's writing were included, and individuals claiming contact with extraterrestrials (contactees) were excluded. A total of 102 subjects formed the study population.

The author notes that most subjects acknowledged that the majority of UFO reports are explainable as known objects or phenomena. The focus of the study was on the interpretations or prime beliefs regarding the approximate 5% of cases classified as unknowns. While many ufologists entertained multiple theories, they often expressed a preference for a particular one. Some distinguished between sightings of objects/lights and those involving "occupants," while others held combinational beliefs.

Results and Discussion

The study population consisted of 5.9% females, with a mean age of 48.41 years. Regarding education, 35% held less than a bachelor's degree, 30% held bachelor's or master's degrees, and 35% held doctorates. The academic areas represented among those with doctorates included astronomy, physics, psychology, social and behavioral sciences, and engineering.

Inter-rater reliability for classifying primary beliefs was assessed using Cohen's procedure, yielding a significant agreement (k = .72, z = 12.43, p < .001).

A breakdown of primary UFO beliefs by education level (Table 1) revealed that the most frequent belief was the extraterrestrial hypothesis, held by 39% of the total ufologists. Nearly a third (30%) believed the UFO phenomenon was real but were unwilling or unable to cite a primary belief about its origin. Psychological/sociological explanations accounted for 7% of primary beliefs.

A chi-squared analysis (X14² = 8.85, p > .05) determined that primary belief was not significantly related to education level.

• Other primary beliefs included:
• Psychological/sociological explanations: 7%
• Misinterpretations: 7%
• Multidimensional theories (e.g., interdimensional time travelers): 5%
• Religious beliefs (e.g., angels or demons): 4% (expressed only by those with doctorates)
• Unknown physical phenomena (e.g., plasmas, geologic-based energy): 3%
• Psychic explanations: 4%
• UFOs are "bunk" or simply misinterpretations: 7%

The article notes that scientific investigations have consistently explained 90-95% of UFO reports, attributing them to psychological factors, misrepresentations, misidentifications, weather, or celestial objects. The residual 5-10% are classified as unknowns. Despite this, serious UFO researchers are interested in these unexplained cases. A 1975 survey of the American Astronomical Society found that 80% of astronomers believed UFOs merited further scientific study.

The author concludes that the UFO phenomenon is complex and baffling, with beliefs being inferential and not empirically verifiable. The enduring public and professional interest suggests the phenomenon's significance, and the epistemology underlying UFO beliefs is proposed as a rich area for future research.

References

The article cites eight references, including works by J. Allen Hynek, Carl Jung, D. R. Price-Williams, R. D. Story, and R. Westrum, related to UFO studies, psychology, and scientific debate.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the exploration of the beliefs held by those who study UFOs, particularly their educational backgrounds and the nature of their primary hypotheses regarding UFO origins. The article adopts a neutral, research-oriented stance, presenting findings from a survey and discussing the complexities and ongoing scientific interest in the UFO phenomenon, while acknowledging the inferential nature of current beliefs.