Prognosis is one of the most ancient branches of medicine. In early times pathology, or the science of disease, did not exist, and treatment was for the most part ineffectual as well as superstitious. But the forecasting of events, when based upon prolonged experience, justly impresses both the educated and the vulgar. We see this in the case of the oldest of sciences?astronomy, based on observ...

OBJECTIVE The present study examined the relation between déjà vu experiences and paranormal beliefs in schizophrenic patients. METHODS A total of 522 participants (54.5% female; mean age=33.3, SD=16.02) were recruited, including 422 healthy adults (60.9% female; mean age=29.48, SD=15.07) and 100 medicated adult schizophrenic patients (27.3% female; mean age=48.98, SD=8.57). The Chinese versi...

The experimental literature is replete with examples of behavior which occur concurrently with a schedule of reinforcement. These concurrent behaviors, often with similar topographies and occurring under like circumstances, may be interpreted as functionally autonomous, collateral, adjunctive, superstitious or mediating behavior. The degree to which the interaction of concurrent and schedule co...

Dr Davies discusses faith healing, its clients and the healing process. He suggests that typical healers often have a total faith in themselves, their working methods and their systems of belief, sometimes born out of their own previous suffering. Patients do well if they have faith (which needs to be distinguished from credulity) in their healers and this faith should be nurtured and valued. S...

We present the validation study of the Paranormal Health Beliefs Scale adult version, aimed to measure illusory beliefs about health. The scale was administered to 643 participants (54.3% females), having an average age of 29.7 years (standard deviation = 18.31). The results of the analyses confirmed the dimensions of the Paranormal Health Beliefs Scale as developed in the previous adolescent s...

In 3 experiments, participants reacted with religious zeal to anxious uncertainty threats that have caused reactive approach motivation (RAM) in past research (see McGregor, Nash, Mann, & Phills, 2010, for implicit, explicit, and neural evidence of RAM). In Study 1, results were specific to religious ideals and did not extend to merely superstitious beliefs. Effects were most pronounced among t...

It has been suggested that superstitiousness may be a subclinical manifestation of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. The present study examined whether the relationship between superstitiousness and obsessive-compulsive symptoms was exclusive or whether superstitiousness was a less specific construct. A sample of undergraduates (n=191) completed measures associated with superstitiousness, ob...

Superstitions are typically seen as inconsequential creations of irrational minds. Nevertheless, many people rely on superstitious thoughts and practices in their daily routines in order to gain good luck. To date, little is known about the consequences and potential benefits of such superstitions. The present research closes this gap by demonstrating performance benefits of superstitions and i...

This article discusses Faḍlallāh al-Ḥurūfī’s relations with political and religious circles in detail from his early youth when he left Astarabad, until execution at the behest of Mīrānshāh, Timur’s son, 796/1394. The common opinion why was executed is considered to be either superstitious ideas or pursuit some messianic, thus power-related, goals. We tried find clues confute such stereotypical...