Pseudoscience Belief Scale
Psychology: Cognition & EducationReliability: alpha 0.833 sample items
About this scale
A multi-item measure of belief in pseudoscientific claims (astrology, homeopathy, telepathy, conspiracy theories). Negatively related to analytic thinking.
Sample item(s)
“The position of the planets at the time of birth influences personality”
“Some people can predict the future with their minds”
“Modern medicine misses the value of traditional healing”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.83. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Useful in critical-thinking and AI-misinformation research.
Source & citation
Pennycook, G., Cheyne, J. A., Barr, N., Koehler, D. J., & Fugelsang, J. A. (2015): On the reception and detection of pseudo-profound bullshit. Judgment and Decision Making, Vol. 10, No. 6, pp. 549–563.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
Use it in your research
Need to check the reliability or psychometrics of this scale in your own data? Use the free DrAIStudio research tools:
Cronbach’s alpha calculator
All statistical calculators
Search the full Scale Atlas
Academic writing humanizer