At the heart of the parapsychology (psi) battle are two types of phenomena: extra-sensory perception (ESP) and psycho-kinesis (PK). ESP is reception of information without any normal sensory means; PK is the use of the mind to influence physical states without any direct physical contact. Neither effect can be explained by ordinary science, so parapsychologists with experimental evidence that they are real are accused of bad science or bad faith or both. This collection of essays shows that a simple division into "sceptics" and "believers" cannot be made. The real struggle, for all researchers, is not with each other, but to get a secure hold on the subject itself. Contributing authors include Peter Brugger, Geoffrey Dean, Christopher French, Stanley Jeffers, Ivan Kelly, Fotini Pallikari, John Palmer, Adrian Parker, Chris Roe, Simon Sherwood, Stefan Schmidt, Kirsten Taylor and Harald Wallach.

An expert on the psychology of belief examines how our thoughts and feelings, actions and reactions, respond not to the world as it actually is but to the world as we believe it to be. This book explores the psychology of belief - how beliefs are formed, how they are influenced both by internal factors, such as perception, memory, reason, emotion, and prior beliefs, as well as external factors, such as experience, identification with a group, social pressure, and manipulation. It also reveals how vulnerable beliefs are to error, and how they can be held with great confidence even when factually false. The author, a social psychologist who specializes in the psychology of belief, elucidates how the brain and nervous system function to create the perceptions, memories, and emotions that shape belief. He explains how and why distorted perceptions, false memories, and inappropriate emotional reactions that sometimes lead us to embrace false beliefs are natural products of mental functioning. He also shows why it is so difficult to change our beliefs when they collide with contradictions. Covering a wide range -- from self-perception and the perceived validity of everyday experience to paranormal, religious, and even fatal beliefs--the book demonstrates how crucial beliefs are to molding our experience and why they have such a powerful hold on our behavior.