1997 09 00 Personality and Individual Differences - Vol 23 No 3 - Chequers

Magazine Overview

Title: Person. individ. Diff.
Issue: Vol. 23, No. 3
Date: 1997
Publisher: Elsevier Science Ltd
Country: Great Britain
Language: English
Cover Headline: Belief in extraterrestrial life, UFO-related beliefs, and schizotypal personality

Article: Belief in extraterrestrial life, UFO-related beliefs, and schizotypal personality

This article, authored by James Chequers, Stephen Joseph, and Debbie Diduca from the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex, presents findings from a study investigating the relationship between beliefs in extraterrestrial life and UFOs, and schizotypal personality in young adults. The study was conducted in December 1996 and published in 1997.

Introduction

The authors begin by noting that beliefs in paranormal phenomena are widely held and that individuals who report such experiences are often found to score higher on schizophrenia-related measures. Previous research, such as that by Windholz and Diamant (1974) and Thalbourne (1994), has established associations between paranormal beliefs and measures of schizotypal personality, including magical ideation and perceptual aberration. However, the authors point out that UFO-related beliefs and experiences, while extraordinary, have not been as extensively studied in relation to schizotypy, with some researchers like Spanos et al. (1993) suggesting that the link to psychopathology needs more evidence.

Method and Results

The study involved 276 young adults (141 males, 135 females) aged 17 years, from a further education college in Essex, England. Participants completed an 8-item scale designed to assess belief in extraterrestrial life and UFO-related beliefs. The items covered topics such as the existence of life on other planets, experiences of being taken aboard a spaceship, the influence of alien intelligence, government cover-ups regarding UFOs, and whether people who claim alien abductions are mentally ill. Each item was answered with a 'yes' or 'no', and a total belief score was calculated. Participants also completed several scales from the multidimensional schizotypal traits questionnaire, including perceptual aberration, magical ideation, cognitive disorganization, and paranoid ideation. One item from the magical ideation scale was removed to avoid overlap.

The results showed that 96% of respondents disagreed that people claiming alien abductions are mentally ill, while 85% agreed there is good evidence for life on other planets. A significant proportion (54%) agreed that aliens are abducting human beings. The total belief score ranged from 0 to 8, with a mean of 4.09. No significant gender difference was found on the overall belief scale.

Correlations were conducted separately for males and females. For males, higher scores on the belief scale were associated with higher scores on perceptual aberration (r=0.25), magical ideation (r=0.53), cognitive disorganization (r=0.45), and paranoid ideation (r=0.31). For females, higher scores on the belief scale were only significantly associated with magical ideation (r=0.44).

To further test the prediction that UFO-related beliefs, specifically, would be associated with schizotypy, the items were separated into those dealing with extraterrestrial life (items 1 and 6) and those dealing with UFO-related beliefs (items 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8). For males, UFO-related beliefs were positively associated with magical ideation (r=0.51), cognitive disorganization (r=0.43), and paranoid ideation (r=0.27). Belief in extraterrestrial life, with UFO-related beliefs partialled out, showed no significant associations with any schizotypy scales. For females, UFO-related beliefs were positively associated with magical ideation (r=0.43), but no other significant correlations were found. Belief in extraterrestrial life, with UFO-related beliefs partialled out, also showed no significant associations for females.

Discussion

The authors conclude that beliefs in extraterrestrial life and UFOs are relatively common among young people, likely influenced by media attention. They highlight that while UFO-related beliefs were associated with magical ideation in both genders, and with other schizotypy measures in males, a general belief in extraterrestrial life was not significantly associated with schizotypy when UFO beliefs were controlled for. One possible explanation for the stronger associations in males is the suggestion that schizotypy is under greater genetic control in males.

Conclusion

The study provides evidence that UFO-related beliefs are associated with the schizotypy construct, but the belief in extraterrestrial life per se is not.

Acknowledgements

The authors express gratitude to the participants, teachers, and an anonymous reviewer for their contributions.

References

The article includes a comprehensive list of references, citing works by Chapman et al. (1978), Clarke (1991), Claridge & Hewitt (1987), Eckblad & Chapman (1983), Hathaway & McKinley (1983), Mack (1994), Rawlings & MacFarlane (1994), Spanos et al. (1993), Sparks et al. (1995), Thalbourne (1994), Thalbourne & French (1995), Tobacyk & Milford (1983), and Windholz & Diamant (1974).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme of this issue is the exploration of the intersection between unusual beliefs (paranormal, UFO-related, extraterrestrial) and psychological constructs, specifically schizotypy. The journal's stance appears to be one of empirical investigation into these phenomena, presenting research findings and engaging with existing literature to advance understanding. The focus on 'Notes and Shorter Communications' suggests a platform for concise, focused research studies contributing to the broader field of individual differences and psychology.