91ÊÓƵ

Wide shot of a bookshelf
Faculty and Research

The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience

Back to the Faculty Bookshelf
Book cover of The Psychology and Science of Pseudoscience by 91ÊÓƵ's Psychology professor Terence Hines, PhD

Terence Hines, PhD
Professor, Psychology

What is the central theme of your book?

The central theme of my book is that people accept pseudoscientific and paranormal beliefs because of several normal brain and cognitive processes. Under rare circumstances, these can result in perceiving things that aren’t there (i.e., UFOs, Bigfoots, etc.), remembering things that didn’t happen (i.e., being kidnapped by aliens) and interpreting normal events (i.e., a creaking door in an old house as evidence of a ghost) as evidence for something paranormal.

What inspired you to write this book?

My life-long interest in the cognitive psychology of such beliefs.

Why is this book important in your field? What does it contribute to the current body of knowledge on this topic?

It’s the first book to integrate modern research in memory, perception, and neuroscience to explain belief in pseudoscience and paranormal things.

What is the one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

That people who accept these beliefs and have paranormal type experiences are not crazy or unintelligent.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your book?

It was a great deal of fun to research and write–and I learned a lot in the process.

What other books have you published?

  • Pseudoscience and the Paranormal (1st edition 1988; 2nd edition 2003, Prometheus)
  • A History of Postal Service in Hanover, New Hampshire Since 1761 (2016, PaperQuest Press)

Fun facts: 

When did you join Dyson College?

1981.

What motivates you as a teacher?

Excellent students.

What do you do in your spare time; to relax/unwind?

I’ve been a stamp collector since I was eight years old and now specialize in several different obscure areas of philately. Among them are the state revenue (tax) stamps of the New England states and Old Home Week poster stamps. I’ve published a catalog of the latter.

What are you reading right now?

  • ²Ñ³¦°­±ð±ð’s The Saucerian, about Gray Barker, a UFO publisher/promoter who, in the 1950s, created the legend of the Men in Black.
  • ³Ò°ù²¹²Ô²Ô’s The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.