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Description
This OER packet contains the course materials for PSY410: Paranormal Psychology. Although often dismissed as a pseudoscience, there are many things we can learn about human beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors by studying phenomena that our current science cannot explain. The course begins with a history of real scientific studies that have been conducted to try and determine whether things like extrasensory perception, telepathy, and telekinesis are real phenomena, with a particular emphasis on what those studies can teach us about the scientific method more generally. This is followed by an examination of things related to the afterlife (e.g., ghosts, mediums, near death experiences, reincarnation claims) and things related to extraterrestrial life, with a particular focus on the psychological (and other) explanations for these phenomena and the implications of believing in these phenomena. Then we focus on belief systems and their implications, including astrology, superstitions, rituals, and cults. We end by focusing on witches, monsters, haunted places, and haunted objects, again focusing on the reasons people believe and the implications of those beliefs on daily life. The purpose of the course is not to change your beliefs. Rather it is to expose you to the scientific perspective related to those beliefs. Remember, paranormal phenomena are simply things we cannot yet explain...
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Publication Date
11-24-2020
Publisher
Portland State University Library
Subjects
Parapsychology -- Psychological aspects
Rights
© 2020 Larry Martinez
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/34314
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Larry R., "Paranormal Psychology: PSY410" (2020). PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources. 32.
https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/pdxopen/32
Notes
Publication of this book was made possible by Portland State University Library PDXOpen Publishing Initiative Grant program.
Accessibility
This open access guide meets our accessibility standards as adapted from BCCampus' Accessibility Statement