Previous research indicates that irrational beliefs (Paranormal beliefs & conspiracy theory endorsement) are associated with the perception of patterns in noise, but the previous findings do not conclusively describe this relationship. This study aims to disentangle the underlying parameters of this association by applying a signal detection theory approach, thus allowing to distinguish illusory pattern perception (false alarms) from perceptual sensitivity and response tendencies-while also taking base rate information into account. Results from a large sample (N = 723) indicate that paranormal beliefs relate to a more liberal response bias and a lower perceptual sensitivity, and that this relationship is driven by illusory pattern perception. Such a clear pattern could not be observed for conspiracy beliefs, for which the increase in false alarm rates was moderated by the base rate. The associations between irrational beliefs and illusory pattern perception were however less substantial compared to other sources of variance. Implications are discussed.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10275861 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-36230-0 | DOI Listing |
R Soc Open Sci
January 2025
Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ, USA.
Numerous psychological findings have shown that incidental exposure to ideas makes those ideas seem more true, a finding commonly referred to as the 'illusory truth' effect. Under many accounts of the illusory truth effect, initial exposure to a statement provides a metacognitive feeling of 'fluency' or familiarity that, upon subsequent exposure, leads people to infer that the statement is more likely to be true. However, genuine beliefs do not only affect truth judgements about individual statements, they also imply other beliefs and drive decision-making.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Hum Neurosci
December 2024
Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Introduction: Global Visual Selective Attention (VSA) is the ability to integrate multiple visual elements of a scene to achieve visual overview. This is essential for navigating crowded environments and recognizing objects or faces. Clinical pediatric research on global VSA deficits primarily focuses on autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProg Neurobiol
February 2025
Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Systems Neurodevelopment Laboratory, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address:
The macaque cerebral cortex contains concentrations of neurons that prefer faces over inanimate objects. Although these so-called face patches are thought to be specialized for the analysis of facial signals, their exact tuning properties remain unclear. For example, what happens when an object by chance resembles a face? Everyday objects can sometimes, through the accidental positioning of their internal components, appear as faces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuroimage
January 2025
Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, South Korea. Electronic address:
We investigated how spatiotemporal neural dynamics underlying perceptual integration changed with the degree of conscious access to a set of backward-masked pacman-shaped inducers that generated the percept of an illusory triangle. We kept the stimulus parameters at a fixed near-threshold level throughout the experiment and recorded electroencephalography from participants who reported the orientation and subjective visibility of the illusory triangle on each trial. Our multivariate pattern analysis revealed that posterior and central areas initially used dynamic neural code and later switched to stable neural code.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtten Percept Psychophys
December 2024
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Past research suggests that pitch height can influence the perceived tempo of speech and music, such that higher-pitched signals seem faster than lower-pitched ones. However, previous studies have analyzed perceived tempo across a relatively limited range of fundamental frequencies. To investigate whether this higher-equals-faster illusion generalizes across the wider range of human hearing, we conducted a series of five experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!