Concept introduction
Extrasensory perception, or ESP, indicates the ability to detect information by some means other than through normal sensation processes. The general term for such unusual abilities is paranormal phenomena. Those who believe in ESP are more disinclined to attribute events to coincidence than those people who do not believe in it.
Explanation of Solution
Suggested responses
Consider how common instances are sometimes used to prove the existence of ESP; however, coincidence and the fallacy of positive instances can help to describe common events that believers may use to validate ESP. Coincidence describes an event occurring by chance, and the fallacy of positive instances is the tendency to recall coincidental events that appear to conform to one’s belief in unusual phenomenon and forget all instances that refute them. Research has shown that those who believe in ESP are disinclined to accurately estimate the probability of an event occurring by chance alone, whereas nonbelievers are typically more realistic about this probability. Consider and write out other reasons why believers in ESP are less likely than nonbelievers to attribute events to chance.
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