12
A. Revonsuo (2000). ‘The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming’. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, pages 793–1121.
13
F. Crick and G. Mitchison (1983). ‘The function of dream sleep’. Nature, 304, pages 111–14.
14
P. Mcintyre (2006). ‘Paul McCartney and the creation of ‘Yesterday’: the systems model in operation’. Popular Music, 25, pages 201–19.
15
J. A. Hobson and R.W. McCarley (1977). ‘The brain as a dream-state generator: An activation-synthesis hypothesis of the dream process’. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, pages 1335–48.
16
M. Solms and O. H. Turnbull (2007). ‘To sleep, perchance to REM? The rediscovered role of emotion and meaning in dreams’. In Tall Tales About the Mind and Brain (ed. Sergio Della Sala, 2007,) pages 478–500. Oxford University Press, US.
Conclusion
1
J. M. Wood, M. T. Nezworski, S. O. Lilienfeld, H. N. Garb (2002). What’s Wrong With the Rorschach? Science Confronts the Controversial Inkblot Test. John Wiley & Sons, New York.
2
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S. J. Blackmore and R. Moore (1994). ‘Seeing things: Visual recognition and belief in the paranormal’. European Journal of Parapsychology, 10, pages 91–103.
P. Brugger, M. Regard, T. Landis, D. Krebs and J. Niederberger (1994). ‘Coincidences: Who can say how “meaningful” they are?’ In Research in parapsychology (ed. E.W. Cook and D. Delanoy, 1991), pages 94–8. Scarecrow, Metuchen, NJ.
P. Brugger and R. Graves (1998). ‘Seeing connections: associative processing as a function of magical belief’. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 4, pages 6–7. R. Wiseman and M. D. Smith (2002). ‘Assessing the role of cognitive and motivational biases in belief in the paranormal’. Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, 66, pages 178–86.
3
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For further information about this aspect of Gardner’s thinking, see:
M. Gardner (1983). The Whys of a Philosophical Scrivener. Quill, New York.
The Instant Superhero Kit
1
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2
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Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I wish to thank the University of Hertfordshire for supporting my work over the years. I would like to thank Sue Blackmore, James Randi, Jim Houran, Chris French, Max Maven, the mysterious Mr D, Peter Lamont, and David Britland for their invaluable contributions to this book. Also, special thanks to Emma Greening and Clive Jefferies for reading earlier drafts of the manuscript. This book would not have been possible without the guidance and expertise of my agent Patrick Walsh and editor Jon Butler. Special thanks also to my wonderful colleague, collaborator and partner, Caroline Watt.
Professor Richard Wiseman started his working life as an award-winning professional magician. After completing an initial degree in psychology, he spent four years testing psychics and mediums as part of his doctorate at the Koestler Parapsychology Unit, Edinburgh University. For the past twenty years he has investigated the psychology of the paranormal, spending sleepless nights in haunted castles, investigating gurus in India, attempting to talk with the dead, and examining psychic dogs. Professor Wiseman has published over fifty academic papers on the paranormal and is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. He has spoken at The Royal Society, Microsoft, Caltech, Google, and The Royal Institution. Over a million people have taken part in Professor Wiseman’s mass participation experiments, and his YouTube channel has received over 10 million views. A survey conducted by Times Higher Education revealed that he was the psychologist most frequently quoted in the British media. Professor Wiseman is also listed as a ‘must follow’ scientist by The Celebrity Twitter Directory, and in 2010 the Independent on Sunday named him as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a better place to live.
www.paranormalitybook.com
www.richardwiseman.com
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Also by Richard Wiseman
THE LUCK FACTOR
DID YOU SPOT THE GORILLA?
QUIRKOLOGY
59 SECONDS
First published 2011 by Macmillan
This electronic edition published 2011 by Macmillan
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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ISBN 978-0-230-75298-6
ISBN 978-0-230-75890-2 EPUB
Copyright © Richard Wiseman 2011
The right of Richard Wiseman to be identified as the
author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form,
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Interactive Tags
A Quick Test Before We Begin x
Introduction
1. FORTUNE-TELLING
2. OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCES
3. MIND OVER MATTER
4. TALKING WITH THE DEAD
INTERMISSION
5. GHOST-HUNTING
6. MIND CONTROL
7. PROPHECY
CONCLUSION
THE INSTANT SUPERHERO KIT
Notes
Acknowledgements
Professor Richard Wiseman
Also by Richard Wiseman
Copyright
Paranormality: Why we see what isn't there Page 25
