Quirkology (38 page)
Authors: Richard Wiseman
26
D. D. Danner, D. A. Snowdon, and W. V. Friesen, “Positive Emotions in Early Life and Longevity: Findings from the Nun Study,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
80 (2001): 804-813.
D. D. Danner, D. A. Snowdon, and W. V. Friesen, “Positive Emotions in Early Life and Longevity: Findings from the Nun Study,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
80 (2001): 804-813.
27
L. A. Harker and D. Keltner, “Expressions of Positive Emotion in Women’s College Yearbook Pictures and Their Relationship to Personality and Life Outcomes Across Adulthood,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
80 (2001): 112-124.
L. A. Harker and D. Keltner, “Expressions of Positive Emotion in Women’s College Yearbook Pictures and Their Relationship to Personality and Life Outcomes Across Adulthood,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
80 (2001): 112-124.
28
E. F. Loftus,
Eyewitness Testimony
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979).
E. F. Loftus,
Eyewitness Testimony
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979).
29
K. A. Wade et al., “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Lies: Using False Photographs to Create False Childhood Memories,”
Psychonomic Bulletin and Review
9 (2002): 597-603.
K. A. Wade et al., “A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Lies: Using False Photographs to Create False Childhood Memories,”
Psychonomic Bulletin and Review
9 (2002): 597-603.
30
K. A. Braun, R. Ellis, and E. F. Loftus, “Make My Memory: How Advertising Can Change Our Memories of the Past,”
Psychology and Marketing
19 (2002): 1-23.
K. A. Braun, R. Ellis, and E. F. Loftus, “Make My Memory: How Advertising Can Change Our Memories of the Past,”
Psychology and Marketing
19 (2002): 1-23.
31
E. F. Loftus and J. E. Pickrell, “The Formation of False Memories,”
Psychiatric Annals
25 (1995): 720-725.
E. F. Loftus and J. E. Pickrell, “The Formation of False Memories,”
Psychiatric Annals
25 (1995): 720-725.
32
I. E. Hyman, T. H. Husband, and F. J. Billings, “False Memories of Childhood Experiences,”
Applied Cognitive Psychology
9 (1995): 181-195.
I. E. Hyman, T. H. Husband, and F. J. Billings, “False Memories of Childhood Experiences,”
Applied Cognitive Psychology
9 (1995): 181-195.
33
J. Jastrow, “Psychological Notes Upon Sleight-of-Hand Experts,”
Science
(May 8, 1896): 685-689.
J. Jastrow, “Psychological Notes Upon Sleight-of-Hand Experts,”
Science
(May 8, 1896): 685-689.
34
R. Wiseman and E. Greening, “‘It’s Still Bending’: Verbal Suggestion and Alleged Psychokinetic Metal Bending,”
British Journal of Psychology
96, no. 1 (2005): 115-127.
R. Wiseman and E. Greening, “‘It’s Still Bending’: Verbal Suggestion and Alleged Psychokinetic Metal Bending,”
British Journal of Psychology
96, no. 1 (2005): 115-127.
35
R. Wiseman, E. Greening, and M. Smith, “Belief in the Paranormal and Suggestion in the Séance Room,”
British Journal of Psychology
94, no. 3 (2003): 285-297.
R. Wiseman, E. Greening, and M. Smith, “Belief in the Paranormal and Suggestion in the Séance Room,”
British Journal of Psychology
94, no. 3 (2003): 285-297.
CHAPTER 3
1
N. Lachenmeyer,
13: The World’s Most Popular Superstition
(London: Profile Books, 2004).
N. Lachenmeyer,
13: The World’s Most Popular Superstition
(London: Profile Books, 2004).
2
J. McCallum, “Green Cars, Black Cats, and Lady Luck,”
Sports Illustrated
68 (February 8, 1988): 86-94.
J. McCallum, “Green Cars, Black Cats, and Lady Luck,”
Sports Illustrated
68 (February 8, 1988): 86-94.
3
D. W. Moore, “One in Four Americans Superstitious,” Gallup Poll News Service, October 13, 2000.
D. W. Moore, “One in Four Americans Superstitious,” Gallup Poll News Service, October 13, 2000.
4
S. Epstein, “Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory: Implications for Developmental Psychology,” in
Self-Processes and Development: Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology
,
vol. 23, ed. M. Gunnar and L. A. Sroufe, 79-123 (Hillsdale, MI: Erlbaum, 1993).
S. Epstein, “Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory: Implications for Developmental Psychology,” in
Self-Processes and Development: Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology
,
vol. 23, ed. M. Gunnar and L. A. Sroufe, 79-123 (Hillsdale, MI: Erlbaum, 1993).
5
T. Radford, “If You Aren’t Born Lucky, No Amount of Rabbits’ Feet Will Make a Jot of Difference,”
Guardian
(Manchester)
,
March 18, 2003, 15.
T. Radford, “If You Aren’t Born Lucky, No Amount of Rabbits’ Feet Will Make a Jot of Difference,”
Guardian
(Manchester)
,
March 18, 2003, 15.
6
S. E. Peckham and P. G. Bhagwat,
Number 13: Unlucky/Lucky for Some
(New Milton, Hampshire, UK: Peckwat Publications, 1993).
S. E. Peckham and P. G. Bhagwat,
Number 13: Unlucky/Lucky for Some
(New Milton, Hampshire, UK: Peckwat Publications, 1993).
7
D. P. Phillips et al., “The Hound of the Baskervilles Effect: Natural Experiment on the Influence of Psychological Stress on Timing of Death,”
British Medical Journal
323 (2001): 1443-1446.
D. P. Phillips et al., “The Hound of the Baskervilles Effect: Natural Experiment on the Influence of Psychological Stress on Timing of Death,”
British Medical Journal
323 (2001): 1443-1446.
8
G. Smith, “Scared to Death?”
British Medical Journal
325 (2002): 1442-1443; N. S. Panesar et al., “Is Four a Deadly Number for the Chinese?”
Medical Journal of Australia
179, nos. 11/12 (2003): 656-658.
G. Smith, “Scared to Death?”
British Medical Journal
325 (2002): 1442-1443; N. S. Panesar et al., “Is Four a Deadly Number for the Chinese?”
Medical Journal of Australia
179, nos. 11/12 (2003): 656-658.
9
T. J. Scanlon et al., “Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?”
British Medical Journal
307 (1993): 1584-1586.
T. J. Scanlon et al., “Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?”
British Medical Journal
307 (1993): 1584-1586.
10
S. Näyhä, “Traffic Deaths and Superstition on Friday the 13th,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
159 (2002): 2110-2111.
S. Näyhä, “Traffic Deaths and Superstition on Friday the 13th,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
159 (2002): 2110-2111.
This work has generated the following debate: I. Radun and H. Summala, “Females Do Not Have More Injury Road Accidents on Friday the 13th,”
BMC Public Health
4, no. 1 (2004): 54; D. F. Smith, “Traffic Accidents and Friday the 13th,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
161, no. 11 (2004): 2140; and S. Näyhä, “Dr. Näyhä Replies,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
161 (2004): 2140.
BMC Public Health
4, no. 1 (2004): 54; D. F. Smith, “Traffic Accidents and Friday the 13th,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
161, no. 11 (2004): 2140; and S. Näyhä, “Dr. Näyhä Replies,”
American Journal of Psychiatry
161 (2004): 2140.
11
K. Kaku, “Increased Induced Abortion Rate in 1966: An Aspect of a Japanese Folk Superstition,”
Annals of Human Biology
2, no. 2 (1975): 111-115.
K. Kaku, “Increased Induced Abortion Rate in 1966: An Aspect of a Japanese Folk Superstition,”
Annals of Human Biology
2, no. 2 (1975): 111-115.
12
K. Kaku and Y. S. Matsumoto, “Influence of a Folk Superstition on Fertility of Japanese in California and Hawaii, 1966,”
American Journal of Public Health
65, no. 2 (1966): 170-174.
K. Kaku and Y. S. Matsumoto, “Influence of a Folk Superstition on Fertility of Japanese in California and Hawaii, 1966,”
American Journal of Public Health
65, no. 2 (1966): 170-174.
13
K. Kaku, “Were Girl Babies Sacrificed to a Folk Superstition in 1966 in Japan?”
Annals of Human Biology
2, no. 4 (1975): 391-393.
K. Kaku, “Were Girl Babies Sacrificed to a Folk Superstition in 1966 in Japan?”
Annals of Human Biology
2, no. 4 (1975): 391-393.
14
K. Hira et al., “Influence of Superstition on the Date of Hospital Discharge and Medical Cost in Japan: Retrospective and Descriptive Study,”
British Medical Journal
317 (1998): 1680-1683.
K. Hira et al., “Influence of Superstition on the Date of Hospital Discharge and Medical Cost in Japan: Retrospective and Descriptive Study,”
British Medical Journal
317 (1998): 1680-1683.
15
D. O’Reilly and M. Stevenson, “The Effect of Superstition on the Day of Discharge from Maternity Units in Northern Ireland: A Saturday Flit Is a Short Sit,”
Journal Of Obstetrics and Gynecology
20 (2000): 139-141; E. M. Keane, P. O’Leary, and J. B. Walsh, “Saturday Flit, Short Sit: A Strong Influence of a Superstition on the Timing of Hospital Discharges?”
Irish Medical Journal
90 (1997): 28.
D. O’Reilly and M. Stevenson, “The Effect of Superstition on the Day of Discharge from Maternity Units in Northern Ireland: A Saturday Flit Is a Short Sit,”
Journal Of Obstetrics and Gynecology
20 (2000): 139-141; E. M. Keane, P. O’Leary, and J. B. Walsh, “Saturday Flit, Short Sit: A Strong Influence of a Superstition on the Timing of Hospital Discharges?”
Irish Medical Journal
90 (1997): 28.
16
P. Haining,
Superstitions
(London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1979).
P. Haining,
Superstitions
(London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1979).
17
M. D. Smith, R. Wiseman, and P. Harris, “Perceived Luckiness and the UK National Lottery” (proceedings of the 40th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, England, UK, 1997), 387-398.
M. D. Smith, R. Wiseman, and P. Harris, “Perceived Luckiness and the UK National Lottery” (proceedings of the 40th Annual Convention of the Parapsychological Association, England, UK, 1997), 387-398.
18
M. Levin,
Do Black Cats Cause Bad Luck?
(winner of the Joel Serebin Memorial Essay Contest organized by the New York Area Skeptics,
http://www.petcaretips.net/black_cat_luck
).
M. Levin,
Do Black Cats Cause Bad Luck?
(winner of the Joel Serebin Memorial Essay Contest organized by the New York Area Skeptics,
http://www.petcaretips.net/black_cat_luck
).
19
W. Coates, D. Jehle, and E. Cottington, “Trauma and the Full Moon: A Waning Theory,”
Annals of Emergency Medicine
18 (1989): 763-765.
W. Coates, D. Jehle, and E. Cottington, “Trauma and the Full Moon: A Waning Theory,”
Annals of Emergency Medicine
18 (1989): 763-765.
A review of other potential lunacy effects can be found in J. Rotton and I. W. Kelly, “Much Ado About the Full Moon: A Meta-Analysis of Lunar-Lunacy Research,”
Psychological Bulletin
97, no. 2 (1985): 286-306.
Psychological Bulletin
97, no. 2 (1985): 286-306.
20
D. F. Danzl, “Lunacy,”
Journal of Emergency Medicine
5, no. 2 (1987): 91-95.
D. F. Danzl, “Lunacy,”
Journal of Emergency Medicine
5, no. 2 (1987): 91-95.
21
A. Ahn, B. K. Nallamothu, and S. Saint, “‘We’re Jinxed’: Are Residents’ Fears of Being Jinxed During an On-Call Day Founded?”
American Journal of Medicine
112, no. 6 (2002): 504.
A. Ahn, B. K. Nallamothu, and S. Saint, “‘We’re Jinxed’: Are Residents’ Fears of Being Jinxed During an On-Call Day Founded?”
American Journal of Medicine
112, no. 6 (2002): 504.
22
P. Davis and A. Fox, “Never Say the ‘Q’ Word,”
StudentBMJ
10 (2002): 353-396.
P. Davis and A. Fox, “Never Say the ‘Q’ Word,”
StudentBMJ
10 (2002): 353-396.
23
Much of the information in this section is discussed in N. Lachenmeyer,
13: The World’s Most Popular Superstition
(New York: Shoe-maker & Hoard, 2004).
Much of the information in this section is discussed in N. Lachenmeyer,
13: The World’s Most Popular Superstition
(New York: Shoe-maker & Hoard, 2004).
24
R. G. Ingersoll, “The Superstitions of Public Men” (toast, Thirteen Club dinner, New York, December 13, 1886).
R. G. Ingersoll, “The Superstitions of Public Men” (toast, Thirteen Club dinner, New York, December 13, 1886).
25
B. Malinowski,
Argonauts of the Western Pacific
(New York: E. P. Dutton, 1922).
B. Malinowski,
Argonauts of the Western Pacific
(New York: E. P. Dutton, 1922).
26
V. R. Padgett and D. O. Jorgenson, “Superstition and Economic Threat: Germany, 1918-1940,”
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
8 (1982): 736-774.
V. R. Padgett and D. O. Jorgenson, “Superstition and Economic Threat: Germany, 1918-1940,”
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
8 (1982): 736-774.
27
G. Keinan, “Effects of Stress and Tolerance of Ambiguity on Magical Thinking,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
67, no. 1 (1994): 48-55.
G. Keinan, “Effects of Stress and Tolerance of Ambiguity on Magical Thinking,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
67, no. 1 (1994): 48-55.
28
C. Nemeroff and P. Rozin, “The Contagion Concept in Adult Thinking in the United States: Transmission of Germs and Interpersonal Influence,”
Ethos
22 (1994): 158-186. Quotation reprinted with permission of the American Psychological Association.
C. Nemeroff and P. Rozin, “The Contagion Concept in Adult Thinking in the United States: Transmission of Germs and Interpersonal Influence,”
Ethos
22 (1994): 158-186. Quotation reprinted with permission of the American Psychological Association.
Related work is described in P. Rozin, L. Millman, and C. Nemeroff, “Operation of the Laws of Sympathetic Magic in Disgust and Other Domains,”
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
50 (1986): 703-712.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
50 (1986): 703-712.
29
J. Henry, “Coincidence Experience Survey,”
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
59, no. 831 (1993): 97-108.
J. Henry, “Coincidence Experience Survey,”
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
59, no. 831 (1993): 97-108.
30
S. Milgram,
Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View
(New York: Harper & Row, 1974).
S. Milgram,
Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View
(New York: Harper & Row, 1974).
31
C. L. Sheridan and R. G. King Jr., “Obedience to Authority with an Authentic Victim” (proceedings of the 80th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 1972), 165-166.
C. L. Sheridan and R. G. King Jr., “Obedience to Authority with an Authentic Victim” (proceedings of the 80th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, 1972), 165-166.
32
Described in T. Blass,
The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram
(New York: Basic Books, 2004).
Described in T. Blass,
The Man Who Shocked the World: The Life and Legacy of Stanley Milgram
(New York: Basic Books, 2004).
33
S. Milgram, “The Small-World Problem,”
Psychology Today
1 (1967): 61-67; J. Travers and S. Milgram, “An Experimental Study of the Small World Problem,”
Sociometry
32 (1969): 425-443.
S. Milgram, “The Small-World Problem,”
Psychology Today
1 (1967): 61-67; J. Travers and S. Milgram, “An Experimental Study of the Small World Problem,”
Sociometry
32 (1969): 425-443.
34
D. Watts,
Small Worlds: The Dynamics of Networks Between Order and Randomness
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999).
D. Watts,
Small Worlds: The Dynamics of Networks Between Order and Randomness
(Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999).
35
J. A. Paulos,
A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper
(London: Penguin Books, 1995).
J. A. Paulos,
A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper
(London: Penguin Books, 1995).
36
R. Wiseman, “It Really Is a Small World That We Live In,”
Daily Telegraph
(London), June 4, 2003, 16.
R. Wiseman, “It Really Is a Small World That We Live In,”
Daily Telegraph
(London), June 4, 2003, 16.
37
D. Derbyshire, “Physics Too Hot for a Fire Walker’s Feat,”
Daily Telegraph
(London), March 23, 2000, 17.
D. Derbyshire, “Physics Too Hot for a Fire Walker’s Feat,”
Daily Telegraph
(London), March 23, 2000, 17.
38
R. Wiseman et al., “An Investigation into Alleged ‘Hauntings,’”
British Journal of Psychology
94 (2003): 195-211.
R. Wiseman et al., “An Investigation into Alleged ‘Hauntings,’”
British Journal of Psychology
94 (2003): 195-211.
39
R. Lange and J. Houran, “Context-Induced Paranormal Experiences: Support for Houran and Lange’s Model of Haunting Phenomena,”
Perceptual and Motor Skills
84 (1997): 1455-1458.
R. Lange and J. Houran, “Context-Induced Paranormal Experiences: Support for Houran and Lange’s Model of Haunting Phenomena,”
Perceptual and Motor Skills
84 (1997): 1455-1458.
40
V. Tandy and T. Lawrence, “The Ghost in the Machine,”
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
62 (1998): 360-364.
V. Tandy and T. Lawrence, “The Ghost in the Machine,”
Journal of the Society for Psychical Research
62 (1998): 360-364.
41
S. Angliss et al., “Soundless Music,” in
Experiments: Conversations in Art and Science,
ed. B. Arends and D. Thackara, 139-171 (London: The Wellcome Trust, 2003). Quotation is from page 152.
S. Angliss et al., “Soundless Music,” in
Experiments: Conversations in Art and Science,
ed. B. Arends and D. Thackara, 139-171 (London: The Wellcome Trust, 2003). Quotation is from page 152.
42
A. Watson and D. Keating, “Architecture and Sound: An Acoustic Analysis of Megalithic Monuments in Prehistoric Britain,”
Antiquity
73 (1999): 325-336.
A. Watson and D. Keating, “Architecture and Sound: An Acoustic Analysis of Megalithic Monuments in Prehistoric Britain,”
Antiquity
73 (1999): 325-336.
43
P. Devereux,
Stone Age Soundtracks: The Acoustic Archaeology of Ancient Sites
(London: Vega Books, 2002).
P. Devereux,
Stone Age Soundtracks: The Acoustic Archaeology of Ancient Sites
(London: Vega Books, 2002).
CHAPTER 4
1
T. E. Moore, “Subliminal Perception: Facts and Fallacies,”
Skeptical Inquirer
16 (1992): 273-281.
T. E. Moore, “Subliminal Perception: Facts and Fallacies,”
Skeptical Inquirer
16 (1992): 273-281.
A. Pratkanis, “The Cargo Cult Science of Subliminal Persuasion,”
Skeptical Inquirer
16 (1992): 260-272.
Skeptical Inquirer
16 (1992): 260-272.
2
S. A. Lowery and M. L. DeFleur,
Milestones in Mass Communication Research: Media Effects,
3rd ed. (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1995). The information in this section is from the chapter “Project Revere: Leaflets as a Medium of Last Resort.”
S. A. Lowery and M. L. DeFleur,
Milestones in Mass Communication Research: Media Effects,
3rd ed. (White Plains, NY: Longman, 1995). The information in this section is from the chapter “Project Revere: Leaflets as a Medium of Last Resort.”
3
M. L. DeFleur and R. M. Petranoff, “A Televised Test of Subliminal Persuasion,”
Public Opinion Quarterly
23 (1959): 168-180.
M. L. DeFleur and R. M. Petranoff, “A Televised Test of Subliminal Persuasion,”
Public Opinion Quarterly
23 (1959): 168-180.
4
B. Beyerstein, “Subliminal Self-Help Tapes: Promises, Promises . . . ,”
Rational Enquirer
6, no. 1 (1993): 12-15.
B. Beyerstein, “Subliminal Self-Help Tapes: Promises, Promises . . . ,”
Rational Enquirer
6, no. 1 (1993): 12-15.
5
E. Eich and R. Hyman, “Subliminal Self-Help,” in
In the Mind’s Eye: Enhancing Human Performance,
ed. D. Druckman and R. Bjork, 107-119 (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1991).
E. Eich and R. Hyman, “Subliminal Self-Help,” in
In the Mind’s Eye: Enhancing Human Performance,
ed. D. Druckman and R. Bjork, 107-119 (Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1991).
6
P. M. Merikle and H. Skanes, “Subliminal Self-Help Audio Tapes: A Search for Placebo Effects,”
Journal of Applied Psychology
7 (1992): 772-776.
P. M. Merikle and H. Skanes, “Subliminal Self-Help Audio Tapes: A Search for Placebo Effects,”
Journal of Applied Psychology
7 (1992): 772-776.
7
S. Lenz, “The Effect of Subliminal Auditory Stimuli on Academic Learning and Motor Skills Performance Among Police Recruits” (PhD diss., California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, California, 1989).
S. Lenz, “The Effect of Subliminal Auditory Stimuli on Academic Learning and Motor Skills Performance Among Police Recruits” (PhD diss., California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, California, 1989).
8
B. Buchanan and J. L. Bruning, “Connotative Meanings of First Names and Nicknames on Three Dimensions,”
Journal of Social Psychology
85 (1971): 143-144.
B. Buchanan and J. L. Bruning, “Connotative Meanings of First Names and Nicknames on Three Dimensions,”
Journal of Social Psychology
85 (1971): 143-144.
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