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Definition:
The Forer Effect, identified by psychologist B.R. Forer in experiments which his
undergraduate students in 1948, happens when someone accepts some general or vague
description of their personality as being unique to them, even though the exact same
description would apply equally well (or equally badly) to everyone.
In his experiment, Forer gave a personality test to his students and then, without bothering to even read them, gave back a general personality analysis - the exact same one to each student, taken from a newspaper astrology column. He asked his students to rate his analysis and received an overwhelmingly positive response - his students were convinced that he could "read" their personalities. The same experiment has been performed repeatedly through the decades in a vareity of contexts, and the responses continue to be highly positive.
Why does the Forer Effect operate? Various explanations have been offered, from human gullibility to ignorance to plain wishful thinking. It does, however, seem to provided a basis for understanding people's acceptance of things like astrology, graphology, divination and other pseudosciences.
Also Known As: Barnum Effect, personal validation effect, subjective validation effect
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
Skepticism & Critical Thinking
This is the main index for issues dealing with skepticism, critical thinking, logic and arguments. The first section is Critical Thinking itself - how to think about claims and arguments you hear, how to critique arguments, and how to formulate your own arguments such that they are more likely to be sound and valid. The second section is about Skeptical Investigations - the practical application of the critical thinking skills covered in the first section. Here you will find critiques of things like astrology, alternative medicine, parapsychology, the New Age and more.
