Development of the revised version of the attitudes towards paranormal phenomena scale (APPle II)

Abstract

the purpose of this study was to revise the Attitudes towards Paranormal Phenomena Scale (APPle) to capture various aspects of skeptical attitudes, so that the believing and skeptical attitudes toward paranormal phenomena could be measured in detail. A questionnaire survey was conducted with undergraduates. Using exploratory factor analysis, six factors (Total Denial of Paranormal Phenomena, Denial Based on Current Situational Awareness, Inclination Towards Fortunetelling and Magic, Believing in Spirituality, Intellectual Curiosity about Paranormal Phenomena, and Fear of Paranormal Phenomena) were extracted, and a scale with 25 items called APPle II was created. From the viewpoints of internal consistency, conrmatory factor analysis, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity, sucient reliability and validity were conrmed. Among the six factors, “Inclination Towards Fortunetelling and Magic” and “Believing in Spirituality” were regarded as believing attitudes, whereas “Total Denial of Paranormal Phenomena” and “Denial Based on Current Situational Awareness” as skeptical attitudes. “Intellectual Curiosity about Paranormal Phenomena” could be both believing and skeptical, and seemed to be based on analytical and critical thinking.