Psychic Healing

Question 1

What are some of the methods of psychic healing?

Answer 1

Some believe that there is a passing of energy from one individual to another through touch or prayer
Some claim to be able to cure without even seeing the individual
Others pass their hands over patients bodies

Question 2

What would psychic healing be an example of if it worked?

Answer 2

Psychokinesis

Question 3

What is the explanation for psychic healing?

Answer 3

Paranormal belief is often seen as a coping strategy for dealing with emotional trauma or people who feel powerless or have little control. For a person who lives in a country with little health care and little money then a belief in psychic healing may be the only way for them to cope if they or a family member of theirs is sick

Question 4

Briefly, what is the explanation for psychic healing?

Answer 4

Some may have little money for private healthcare so psychic healing may be a coping strategy for someone who has a sick family member. They might feel the least they can do is take them to a healer

Question 5

Why may psychic healers encourage the belief?

Answer 5

Because it brings them a sense of importance
Status within the community
Can generate good income where medical care is not readily available

Question 6

What evidence supports psychic healing?

Answer 6

Sicher et al

Question 7

What were Sicher et als findings?

Answer 7

The patients with AIDS who revived 10 weeks of standard medical care and had distance healing of an hour a day did better that the control group on a number of measures including improved mood, fewer visits to the doctor, fewer AIDS related illnesses and fewer hospitalisations

Question 8

What was good about Sicher et als study?

Answer 8

CD4+ count

A double blind trial was used

Question 9

What is good about using a CD4+ count as a measure?

Answer 9

Because it’s reliable valid and scientific. It cannot be affected by bias, social desirability or demand characteristic. It’s completely objective and therefore heightens our confidence in the results

Question 10

Why was using a double blind method in Sicher et als study good?

Answer 10

Because researcher bias and the placebo affect was avoided because no one was aware who received distance healing. It heightens our confidence in the results because it means they are more representative of the power of psychic healing

Question 11

What is the problem with assessing illness through the number of visits to the doctor?

Answer 11

It may not reflect if people are getting better or worse. Some people may simply may not like the doctor or are visiting for issues not related to their AIDS, for example contraception

Question 12

What evidence opposes psychic healing?

Answer 12

Benson et al

Question 13

What were Benson et als findings?

Answer 13

The incidence of post-operative complications between the two who were uncertain about receiving prayer did not vary. However complications were higher in the group who knew they were being prayed for.

Question 14

What is the main methodological problem with Benson et als research?

Answer 14

The design of independent measures was used which means individual differences could explain the results. Perhaps their complications were more serious, but without prayer they might have died

Question 15

What are the evaluation points for psychic healing?

Answer 15

Not necessarily treatment
Subjective measurement
Researcher bias
Fraudulent techniques

Question 16

Explain the ‘it’s not always the treatment’ evaluation point…

Answer 16

The treatment is not always responsible for our recovery, things do get better on their own over time or it could be due to the placebo affect

Question 17

What study has attempted to overcome the problem of the placebo affect?

Answer 17

Barrington et al

Question 18

What did Barrington et al find?

Answer 18

That bean plants that were sent positive thoughts grew significantly more than plants sent negative thoughts in a two week period

Question 19

What do Barrington et als findings suggest?

Answer 19

CHECK CHECK

That the placebo effect may not affect the power of physic healing because these plants to do not have brains

Question 20

Explain the subjective judgement evaluation point?

Answer 20

In studies involving psychic healing people are often asked to answer questionnaires. Peoples subjective judgement of their health (e.g pain reduction) may have improved but not their objective physical healthy

Question 21

Explain the research bias evaluation point…

Answer 21

People who do research into psychic healing are likely to have an opinion as to whether or not it works. It may be difficult for them to give an objective analysis

Question 22

How could researcher bias be eliminated?

Answer 22

If a dependant variable which is objective is chosen or if a double blind trial is used

Question 23

Explain the fraudlent techniques evaluation point…

Answer 23

Some psychic healers are fraudlent for money, importance and status within the community. An example being Randi who described how ‘psychic surgeons use sleight of hand to create the impression they were operating on seriously ill patients without the use of surgical instruments. They use a lot of fake blood and produce lumps of meat to claim tumours have been removed

Question 24

What is psychic healing?

Answer 24

The belief that people can be treated or even cured of physical illness without the use of physical means such as drugs or surgery but through paranormal means