New Age of measuring paranormal and related beliefs: Psychometric properties and correlates of the Polish version of the Survey of Scientifically Unaccepted Beliefs (SSUB)

This paper presents the outcomes of a study focused on the Polish adaptation of the Survey of Scientifically Unaccepted Beliefs (SSUB; Irwin & Marks, 2013), designed to gauge individual differences in paranormal beliefs. Notably, the Polish version exhibited robust internal consistency, evidenced by Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.87 for the New Age Beliefs scale and 0.90 for the Traditional Religious Beliefs scale. Moreover, it demonstrated excellent test-retest stability. Subsequent to conducting confirmatory factor analysis, adjustments were made to streamline the scale for enhanced model fit. To validate the questionnaire, a range of measures were utilized to evaluate characteristics potentially linked to paranormal beliefs. The findings revealed positive associations between paranormal beliefs and various cognitive tendencies such as conspiracy thinking, magic ideation, superstitious thinking, bullshit receptivity, and irrationality. Furthermore, correlations with facets of the Big Five personality traits were identified. In summary, the Polish adaptation of SSUB exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties, thereby establishing its utility in assessing paranormal beliefs.