The Psychology of Anomalous Experience

Professor Chris French of the Anonmalous Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths University presents a skeptical treatment of 'paranormal' experience.

Ever since records began, in every known society, a substantial proportion
of the population has reported unusual experiences many of which we would
today label as 'paranormal'. Opinion polls show that the majority of the
general public accepts that paranormal phenomena do occur. Such widespread
experience of and belief in the paranormal can only mean one of two things.
Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the
wider scientific community which currently rejects such claims. Or else
belief in and experience of ostensibly paranormal phenomena can be fully
explained in terms of psychological factors. This presentation will provide
an introduction to the sub-discipline of anomalistic psychology, which may
be defined as the study of extraordinary phenomena of behaviour and
experience, in an attempt to provide non-paranormal explanations in terms
of known psychological and physical factors. This approach will be
illustrated with examples relating to a range of ostensibly paranormal
phenomena.

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