Study Buddy (Challenger): An expert explains what the ‘paranormal’ is
This page is for students who want to take their reading comprehension to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills.
Two people conduct a seance using a Ouija board, presumably to try and speak to spirits. Photo: ShutterstockContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below
[1] Do you believe in ghosts or paranormal activity? Professor Chris French is keen to know why. His research focus is “anomalistic psychology”: bizarre experiences that many people have and why they believe in events that do not have a scientific base.
[2] French, a professor emeritus at Goldsmiths College at the University of London in the United Kingdom, explores examples of “supernatural activity” in his research, and in his book The Science of Weird S**t: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal. He investigates ghost sightings, fortune-tellers, clairvoyants and psychics. Alien abductions are also in his scope. If it is a strange thing, French is interested.
[3] Ghost sightings take up most of his time. There are many reasons people think they have seen one. One is a well-proven phenomenon called sleep paralysis, little known outside scientific circles. It can convince even cynics that they are in the presence of a – usually malicious – ghost.
[4] “Sleep paralysis is a temporary period of paralysis between sleep and wakefulness,” French said. “It can come with a range of additional symptoms that can make it absolutely terrifying. These include a strong sense of an evil presence and hallucinations like hearing voices or footsteps and seeing demons. Other symptoms include experiencing difficulty in breathing, feeling pressure on the chest and intense fear.”
[5] People go through several different stages during a regular night’s sleep. One is REM, or rapid eye movement, sleep – the stage associated with vivid dreams. “The muscles of the body are actually paralysed during this phase, presumably to stop us from acting out the actions of the dream,” French said.
[6] Sometimes, REM sleep dream imagery gets mixed up with feelings of being awake, and we mistakenly believe we are having a supernatural experience. “It’s a glitch in the normal sleep cycle. It’s as though the brain wakes up, but the body doesn’t – and all of that imagery spills over into waking consciousness,” said French. Many artistic representations of ghosts and demons from the past probably stem from sleep paralysis, he added.
[7] How about Ouija boards? This apparent way to communicate with the dead involves asking questions and having a form of marker seemingly move across a board of letters and numbers to spell out answers on its own. “When people experience the planchette or an upturned wine glass moving around during a Ouija board session, the illusion that some external force is causing the movement is powerful,” French explained. “In fact, those taking part are making unconscious muscular movements, known as the ideomotor effect.”
[8] Sometimes, ghost stories are cons to make a dollar. But while scammers do exist, our desire to believe is the bigger culprit. “The single most powerful cognitive bias that we all suffer from is confirmation bias,” said French. “We pay more attention to evidence that is consistent with what we already believe or would like to be true. And we either ignore evidence [that does not match what we believe] or make up reasons it can be dismissed.” If you believe in ghosts, it is more likely you will think you see one, he said.
Source: South China Moring Post, December 29
Questions
1. Which of the following best describes “anomalistic psychology”, according to paragraph 1?
A. The study of abnormal human behaviour.
B. The scientific investigation of supernatural powers.
C. A branch of psychology dealing with mental disorders.
D. none of the above
2. In paragraph 2, what is the one thing that connects all the subjects that Professor French studies?
3. Based on paragraph 3, what does the public know about or think of sleep paralysis?
4. Paragraph 4 describes …
A. different techniques used to identify sleep paralysis.
B. the unsettling aspects of sleep paralysis, including the accompanying sensations and hallucinations.
C. how experiences with sleep paralysis can influence cultural interpretations of dreams.
D. how sleep paralysis research has evolved and the various treatments for individuals affected by the condition.
5. Find a word in paragraph 5 that means “realistic and intense”.
6. Based on your understanding of paragraph 5, what are the potential consequences if your muscles are not paralysed during REM sleep?
7. According to paragraph 6, individuals may think they have a supernatural encounter when images during REM sleep …
A. appear to look like moving objects.
B. are recalled during the day after waking.
C. follow you into the conscious, awake state.
D. are suppressed subconsciously by the mind.
8. According to French in paragraph 8, what causes the planchette to move on a Ouija board?
9. In paragraph 8, how does confirmation bias relate to believing in ghosts?
Answers
1. D
2. They all involve bizarre, unexplained and unusual experiences. (accept all similar answers)
3. It is not widely known or understood by the public. (accept all similar answers)
4. B
5. Vivid
6. If your muscles are not paralysed during REM sleep, you might potentially injure yourself or others by physically acting out your dreams. (accept all reasonable answers)
7. C
8. Participants’ unconscious muscular movements
9. If you believe in ghosts, you are more likely to interpret your experiences in a way that confirms your belief, even if there are other explanations for the event. (accept all similar answers)