Which cognitive biases are cited as contributing to belief in paranormal phenomena?

• A. Confirmation bias, neglect of negative results, and wishful thinking
• B. Availability cascade
• C. Regression to the mean
• D. Hindsight bias

Answer: (A)

Belief in paranormal phenomena is often driven by biases that shape how we seek, interpret, and remember evidence. Confirmation bias makes people notice and recall experiences that fit paranormal explanations while downplaying mundane or ordinary causes, so the impression that paranormal forces are at work grows stronger. Neglect of negative results means ignoring studies or data that fail to show such effects, allowing the belief to endure even when robust evidence is lacking. Wishful thinking ties the desire for something extraordinary to interpretation, so ambiguous experiences are more readily labeled as paranormal.

Other biases can play a supporting role in how beliefs spread or are rationalized—such as social amplification in an availability cascade, which makes the claim seem more credible as more people repeat it, or hindsight bias, which makes outcomes feel knowable after the fact. But the trio above best captures the cognitive processing that directly biases how people perceive and evaluate paranormal claims.