Describing the light: Attribution theory as an explanation of the near-death experience.
Max C. Norton, James M. Sahlman
The Journal of near-death studies 1995 DOI: 10.17514/jnds-1995-13-3-p167-184. (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Near-death experience |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that attribution theory explains how near-death experiencers describe their experiences. The observation that NDErs rarely report unknown events, characters, or objects suggests they make attributions to answer why the experience occurred. |
Abstract
Article exploring near-death experiences and attribution theory, which focuses on how information is used to create causal inferences and answer causal questions. The finding that near-death experiencers (NDErs) rarely describe unknown events, characters, or objects suggests that NDErs make attributions to answer why these experiences occurred. Examining various descriptions of NDEs demonstrates how attribution theory explains individuals' descriptions of their NDEs.