Dr Watt’s work into the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences falls into three main areas:
Decades of research by anthropologists, sociologists, parapsychologists and psychologists have established that, for many individuals, superstitious beliefs serve the psychological function of providing a sense of control over an otherwise uncontrollable world. The belief that one can bring good luck by carrying a lucky charm, or avoid bad luck by avoiding walking under a ladder, that by wearing a lucky shirt one can score well in a sporting competition, that prayers to a god can help good things happen, provides a comforting but illusory sense of control.
Collaborating with Professor Richard Wiseman, Dr Watt has published research suggesting that although the sense of control provided by superstitious beliefs is illusory, some superstitious beliefs may be more beneficial than others. Those beliefs that could be described as ‘positive superstitions’ (such as carrying a lucky charm) may be helpful to the individual in ways he or she did not anticipate, by making that person more optimistic that good things will happen. Having an optimistic outlook tends to make people try harder and to see the positive side of situations, thus helping to bring about good fortune.
Extending beyond superstitious beliefs, other paranormal beliefs, such as that one can read people’s minds, or that one can influence other individuals or the environment by will-power alone, also provide a sense of control. Studies have found that individuals who have experienced traumatic childhoods tend to have stronger paranormal beliefs. This has led Harvey Irwin to develop a model stating that, for some individuals, paranormal beliefs may develop as a mechanism to cope with a lack of control as a child. Research by Dr Watt has provided the first empirical support for this model. More details on Irwin’s model can be found in the textbook Introduction to Parapsychology, co-authored by Dr Watt.
References:
Wiseman, R. & Watt, C. (2004). Measuring superstitious belief: Why lucky charms matter. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1533-1541. Download pdf (Draft: 220KB).
Watt, C., Watson, S., & Wilson, L. (2007). Cognitive and psychological mediators of anxiety: Evidence from a study of paranormal belief and perceived childhood control. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 335-343. Download pdf (Draft: 309KB).
It has become fashionable to send teams of ‘investigators’, often accompanied by TV crews, to spend the night in allegedly haunted locations. Even uncontaminated by the complex motives of TV companies, such vigils tend not to be very productive from a research perspective due to difficulties in interpreting any phenomena that occur.
In collaborative research led by Professor Richard Wiseman, Dr Watt has investigated the psychological and physical factors that may cause people to report unusual experiences in such locations. The research has taken a systematic approach, in effect turning the haunted location into a psychological laboratory. These studies have been conducted at Hampton Court Palace, and Edinburgh’s Vaults.
Volunteers visit different parts of the locations, some ‘haunted’, some not. Participants complete questionnaires about any unusual sights or sensations that they may experience, and mark the location of these experiences on a floorplan. Prior to touring the locations, participants also complete questionnaires about their paranormal beliefs, and their prior knowledge and expectations of the venues. In addition to these psychological measures, we measure various physical characteristics of the locations.
These studies’ findings include:
those who believe in ghosts report a greater number of ghostly experiences than disbelievers;
even when volunteers have no prior detailed knowledge of the location’s reputation, experiences tend to cluster in particular hotspots, those that have a prior history of haunting experiences;
the hotspots tend to be relatively poorly lit, to be relatively large in area, and may show greater geomagnetic activity.
The results suggest that these physical factors may trigger unusual experiences in some sensitive individuals.
Reference:
Wiseman, R., Watt, C., Stevens, P., Greening, E., & O’Keeffe, C. (2003). An investigation into alleged ‘hauntings’. British Journal of Psychology, 94, 195-211. Download pdf (220KB).
This is essentially a skeptical hypothesis, that individuals are mistaken when they conclude that they have had a paranormal experience. Researchers have suggested a variety of psychological factors that may play a role in such misattributions, including: underestimating the likelihood of a coincidence by chance alone; faulty memory; interpretation of ambiguous stimuli to fit expectations; poor reasoning ability.
In fact it is the difficulty in ruling out these and other factors in real-life settings that leads most parapsychologists to turn to controlled laboratory studies when attempting to test the hypothesis that people have paranormal abilities. Nevertheless, parapsychologists can learn a lot from so-called ‘spontaneous’ paranormal experiences.
Dr Watt has reviewed psychological factors affecting people’s coincidence experiences, and has reviewed the large amount of literature on the misattribution hypothesis.
References:
Watt, C.A. (1990-1991). Psychology and Coincidences. European Journal of Parapsychology, 8, 66-84. Download pdf (1,870KB).
Wiseman, R. & Watt, C. (2006). Belief in psychic ability and the misattribution hypothesis: A qualitative review. British Journal of Psychology, 97, 323-338. Download pdf (154KB).
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