Spoon-bending for beginners: Anomalistic psychology in schools
Why introduce students to a field of psychology investigating claims that fly in the face of mainstream science? Chris French can think of several good reasonsFrom next month, potentially thousands of...
View ArticleAnomalistic psychology, Lesson One: Seeing is not believing
Studying paranormal claims is as much about revealing imperfections in the human mind as it is about flying saucers, ghosts, extrasensory perception and psychic healingHaving taught anomalistic...
View ArticleThe waking nightmare of sleep paralysis | Chris French
Imagine awaking to a strong sense of a 'presence', pressure on your chest, intense fear and hallucinations, but being incapable of moving a muscleProfessor French discusses sleep paralysis on The One...
View ArticleAlien abduction flick The Fourth Kind is dangerous twaddle | Chris French
Psychologist Chris French explains why he believes The Fourth Kind is dangerously misleading twaddleThe Fourth Kind is, in so many ways, a really awful film. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and released...
View ArticleChurch must accept reality of false memories of sexual abuse | Chris French
The notion that therapists can help people to 'recover' memories of sexual abuse causes serious harm to patients and their families, writes psychologist Chris FrenchLast April, I wrote a column on the...
View ArticleA suitable case for libel?
As a member of the British False Memory Society, I and others like me are portrayed as giving comfort to child sex abusers. Is it worth suing our accusers?Some weeks ago, I wrote a piece for the...
View ArticleMartin Gardner, 1914-2010, one of the most influential figures in scepticism...
Chris French mourns the passing of Martin Gardner, a prolific writer and populariser of mathematics, and one of the most influential figures in scepticismI woke up on Sunday morning to some very sad...
View ArticleFalse memories of sexual abuse lead to terrible miscarriages of justice |...
To avoid the innocent being convicted, police, lawyers and judges must understand the fickle nature of human memoryMany of those working in our legal system have such a poor understanding of the nature...
View ArticleAstrologers and other inhabitants of parallel universes
Followers of pseudosciences such as astrology often draw spurious parallels between their beliefs and established scienceA common tactic used by those promoting dubious hypotheses is to argue that the...
View ArticlePrecognition studies and the curse of the failed replications | Professor...
Science progresses when repeat studies back or refute previous research, but getting 'replications' published can be a nightmareProfessor Daryl Bem of Cornell University is a well-respected...
View ArticleHow true to life are the psychics and psychologists in Red Lights? | Prof...
Real-life parapsychologist Chris French gives his verdict on the newly released film Red Lights starring Robert De NiroIn my role as a professional sceptic, I jumped at the chance to see a preview of...
View ArticleWhy giving polygraph tests to sex offenders is a terrible idea | Prof Chris...
Polygraphs are notoriously unreliable and easy to fool, and sooner or later sex offenders will discover the truth about themIt was recently announced that the government is keen to introduce mandatory...
View ArticleWhy won't psychic Sally Morgan accept our invitation to test her powers? |...
Despite expressing respect for sceptics, psychic Sally Morgan has again refused to have her claims tested. Could the potential loss of earnings have something to do with it?This article is the subject...
View ArticleHalloween challenge: psychics submit their powers to a scientific trial |...
Psychics gave blind readings to five volunteers in an experiment at Goldsmiths, University of London. How did they fare?Just over two weeks ago, Michael Marshall of the Merseyside Skeptics Society...
View ArticleThe unseen force that drives Ouija boards and fake bomb detectors | Chris French
The bomb detectors sold by James McCormick exploit a well known psychological phenomenon that can fool the unwaryThis week businessman James McCormick was convicted of fraud after making £50m selling...
View ArticleConfessions of an Alien Abductee exploited its unfortunate subjects |...
Channel 4 documentary about alien abuduction not only lacked any sceptical voices, its tone was mean-spirited and patronisingOn Thursday evening, Channel 4 broadcast Confessions of an Alien Abductee....
View ArticleJohn F Kennedy: 50th anniversary of a conspiracy theory | Chris French
At no point have more than 36% of Americans believed Kennedy was assassinated by a lone gunman. What is it about human psychology that makes conspiracy theories so appealing?Fifty years ago today,...
View ArticlePope Francis and the psychology of exorcism and possession | Professor Chris...
Endorsement of exorcism by the Vatican will do nothing to prevent future tragedies like the death of Victoria ClimbiéLast week it was reported that Pope Francis had formally recognised the...
View ArticleSatanic child abuse claims are almost certainly based on false memories |...
If anyone has evidence of satanic abuse in Scotland they should take it to the police, but lurid media reporting of unsubstantiated claims is counterproductive“EXCLUSIVE: Charities claim that the...
View ArticleSocial recall: factors that can affect false memory
The brain can be as creative as it is inaccurate when it comes to memory, working to turn made-up stories and childhood emotions into remembered factThe fallibility of human memory is one of the most...
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