Surveys of Anomalous Experience in Chinese, Japanese, and American Samples

Abstract

Scholars often assume that religious preference, religiosity, and scientific training affect the incidence of anomalous experiences. Caucasian-American, African-American, Chinese, and Japanese college students were polled regarding déjà vu, night paralysis, extrasensory perception (ESP), contact with the dead, out-of-body experience (OBE), and belief in ESP. Although the incidence of reported episode varied cross-culturally, knowledge of a respondent's religious preference, self-reported religiosity, or scientific training provided little predictive capacity regarding frequency of anomalous experience or belief in ESP. These findings contradict prevalent assumptions regarding anomalous experience and occult belief.