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Paranormal experiences, sensory-processing sensitivity, and the priming of pareidolia

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  • Jess M Williams
  • Mark Blagrove

Abstract

This investigation tested the effect of priming on pareidolia (the hearing of illusory words in ambiguous stimuli). Participants (41 women, 20 men, mean age 29.95 years) were assigned to primed (n = 30) or unprimed (n = 31) groups: the former were told the study was of ‘purported ghosts voices’, the latter ‘voices in noisy environments.’ Participants were assessed for perception of human voices within recordings of purported electronic voice phenomena (EVP), degraded human speech, normal human speech, and white noise. The primed group had significantly higher perception of voices within EVPs than in degraded speech, this difference was not found for unprimed participants. In contrast to the previous use of this design, the primed group did not have higher perception of voices in EVPs and degraded speech than did the unprimed group. The Aesthetic Sensitivity dimension of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) was associated with detection of degraded stimuli, but not with accuracy of stimulus identification. HSPS score was related to lifetime reporting of anomalous and paranormal experiences. This study partially replicates a paranormal priming effect and shows relationships between HSPS and detection of ambiguous stimuli and anomalous and paranormal experiences.

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  • Jess M Williams & Mark Blagrove, 2022. "Paranormal experiences, sensory-processing sensitivity, and the priming of pareidolia," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0274595
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274595
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Tinne Vander Elst & Maarten Sercu & Anja Van den Broeck & Elke Van Hoof & Elfi Baillien & Lode Godderis, 2019. "Who is more susceptible to job stressors and resources? Sensory-processing sensitivity as a personal resource and vulnerability factor," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Madeleine Castro & Roger Burrows & Robin Wooffitt, 2014. "The Paranormal is (Still) Normal: The Sociological Implications of a Survey of Paranormal Experiences in Great Britain," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 19(3), pages 30-44, September.
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