Abstract
Magical and paranormal beliefs have been found in all cultures and strata of society, including medical university students. Critical thinking skills and dispositions are generally considered desirable outcomes of the educational process. Nevertheless, there is the lack of conceptual clarity about interrelations between the magical and critical thinking. Aim of the study is to explore prevalence of magical, paranormal beliefs and pseudoscientific beliefs among undergraduate medical students, as well as to explore prevalence of critical thinking dispositions among medical students and to assess interrelations and psychodynamics between “noncritical” forms of thinking – magical, paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs, and critical thinking disposition. The results showed statistically significant negative correlation between paranormal beliefs and critical thinking disposition if students are put in optional situation between opposite statements. If statements in assessment scales do not put respondents in optional situation, their results do not show significant correlations.
Highlights
Magical, paranormal and superstitious beliefs have been found in all cultures for thousands of years and continue to thrive in modern times in all populations, including university students despite scientific education
From the paranormal beliefs medical students showed highest results on Witchcraft and Psi beliefs subscales, what was below the average point 4 (Table 7)
Our results show average level of magical and paranormal beliefs, as well as pseudoscientific beliefs
Summary
Paranormal and superstitious beliefs have been found in all cultures for thousands of years and continue to thrive in modern times in all populations, including university students despite scientific education. By “paranormal” is meant a phenomenon which, if authentic, violates a basic limiting principle of science [1]. These basic limiting principles (e.g., a mental event cannot directly cause a physical event, except for one in the person’s own brain) are overwhelmingly supported by evidence from human experience and from scientific observation. According to anthropologist Dr Philips Stevens, magical thinking involves several elements, including the belief in the interconnectedness of all things through forces and powers that transcend both physical and spiritual connections. Magical Thinking appears characteristic of those paranormal beliefs that emphasize forms of causality that violate basic limiting principles of science – for example, psi, witchcraft, superstition, spiritualism, and precognition
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