Re-Examination 1 Running head: RE-EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP Ghosts, Witches, and Goblins: Re-examination of the Relationship between Reasoning Ability and Level of Paranormal Belief

reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. Re-Examination 2 Research has suggested that paranormal believers have deficient reasoning skills. However, this claim is weakened by flawed methodology and some failures to replicate this finding. To re-explore this issue, 124 undergraduates completed Tobacyk’s (2004) Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA), and a syllogistic reasoning task. This study sought to re-assess the strength of the relationship between paranormal belief and reasoning ability, as measured on each of the two reasoning tasks. Level of paranormal belief had a significant negative relationship with the WGCTA task, but had no significant relationship with the syllogistic reasoning task. The present study provides some support for those who contend that weaknesses in reasoning ability are among the several factors that contribute to the adoption of scientifically dubious belief systems. Re-Examination