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- Title
Creation and Validation of the Belief in the Supernatural Scale.
- Authors
Schofield, Malcolm B.; Baker, Ian S.; Staples, Paul; Sheffield, David
- Abstract
This study aimed to create and validate a new scale, the "Belief in the Supernatural Scale." Study one used an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to reduce an initial item pool of 71 items to 44 and to identify a factor structure with 382 participants. A five factor structure was proposed: "mental and psychic phenomena," "religious belief," "psychokinesis," "supernatural entities," and "common paranormal perceptions." We then analyzed the proposed scale in study two using a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) with 318 new participants. The new scale provides a wide range of items and indicates that while religious and paranormal beliefs show a clear division, spiritual belief is spread among those factors, indicating that spirituality might be the concept that links religiosity and paranormality. The Belief in the Supernatural Scale (BitSS) provides a valuable tool that can be used alone, or alongside previous measures, for research into supernatural belief.
- Subjects
SUPERNATURAL; BELIEF &; doubt; EXPLORATORY factor analysis; PSYCHIC ability; PSYCHOKINESIS; CONFIRMATORY factor analysis; PARAPSYCHOLOGY
- Publication
Journal of Parapsychology, 2018, Vol 82, Issue 1, p41
- ISSN
0022-3387
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.30891/jopar.2018.01.04