This project was initially concerned with the clinical interpretations of ‘bizarre’ or
‘magical’ ideations (i.e., statements considered to have little or no validity in our
predominant western culture). The first study explored clinical assessment issues
of who determines the validity of expressed beliefs and what kinds of criteria such
decisions are based on in the mental health field. The present study examined a
particular type of magical ideation, an auditory phenomenon involving claims that
forward spoken conversation contains hidden backwards speech embedded in the
vocal sounds. Thirty-two participants were invited to listen to various audio
samples of the alleged phenomenon and provide interpretations of what was heard.
Participants were assigned to four groups, each differing in the level of pre-emptive
information. A comparative measure revealed that priming and suggestion could
not be dismissed as alternative explanations of the reported effects. Clinical and
social implications will be discussed.
