Are UFOs ghosts? Analysis about the psychosocial conception of beliefs in extraterrestrial beings and paranormal phenomena: CEU-28's statistical justification.

Abstract

UFO experiences describe contacts with UFOs, extraterrestrial beings, covert alien visits and abductions. Although science provides enough advances that bet for the existence of life outside the earth, these experiences have been related and equated with beliefs in the paranormal under an integrative model given the magical content they manifest. The following report presents a psychosocial study based on the statistical justification of the CEU-28 (Ufological Experiences Questionnaire), which examines the underlying dimensions of UFO experiences-beliefs, as well as their social impact on the Spanish-speaking culture. The sample consisted of 309 subjects accidentally selected from the Spanish general population. The Factorial Analysis confirmed that UFO experiences can be represented based on four dimensions: Ufological Beliefs (C1), UFO Contacts (E1), Fear of UFO Experiences (T1) and Form Beliefs (C2). The
analysis of items suggested that these beliefs could present both models: magical-divergent (irrational conceptions) and critical-divergent (rational conceptions). This result invites us to review the validity of the integrative model including the discrimination of both conceptions.