Abstract

CARDENAS, Manuel; GALLARDO, Ismael; ADAOS, Romina  and  BAHAMONDES, Joaquin. Paranormal beliefs in a sample of psychology students of chilean universities. Salud & Sociedad [online]. 2013, vol.4, n.1, pp.10-23. ISSN 0718-7475.

This paper presents a review of the beliefs held by students regarding the paranormal. The participants were psychology students (n = 360) from public (traditional) and private (non-traditional/for profit) universities. In principle, psychology opposes belief in magic and other forms of superstition and is instead committed to empirical evidence and rational argument. Psychology has therefore struggled for decades with the question of the scientific status of the paranormal. This study demonstrates that a significant proportion of students hold superstitious beliefs or have doubts about the occurrence of such phenomena. Study of these beliefs is of the utmost importance, as it could affect both clinical practice and the quality of care people receive.

Keywords : Science; paranormal beliefs; superstition.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )