Hocus Pocus: using comics to promote skepticism about the paranormal

Richard Wiseman; Jordan Collver; Rik Worth; Caroline Watt

doi:10.22323/2.20020204

Hocus Pocus: using comics to promote skepticism about the paranormal

Richard Wiseman, Jordan Collver, Rik Worth, Caroline Watt

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1 Citation (Scopus)

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Abstract

This study investigated the potential for comics to promote skepticism about the paranormal. Participants rated their interest in comics, read a skeptical account of alleged paranormal phenomena in One of three mediums (text, comic, and comic containing an interactive magic trick), and then rated their engagement, skepticism and recall. The text was rated as more interesting and entertaining than the comics, and participants’ prior interest in comics positively correlated with engagement and shift in skepticism. This suggests that for certain cohorts, comics may be an effective way to promote engagement and attitude change. The implications for future work are considered.

Original language	English
Number of pages	16
Journal	Journal of Science Communication (JCOM)
Volume	20
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22323/2.20020204
Publication status	Published - 8 Mar 2021

Keywords

art and literature
Informal learning
Science and technology
Science education

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10.22323/2.20020204Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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© The Author(s). This article is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution — Non Commercial — No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
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Cite this

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Hocus Pocus: using comics to promote skepticism about the paranormal

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