The role of dual mechanism control in paranormal beliefs: Evidence from behavioral and electrical stimulation studies

Paranormal believers' thinking is frequently biased by intuitive beliefs. Lack of inhibition of these tempting beliefs is considered a key element in paranormal believers' thinking. However, the brain process related to cognitive control and dual mechanism control (DMC) in paranormal believers is poorly understood. Given the critical role of cognitive control in paranormal beliefs, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of DMC in paranormal beliefs in two behavioral and brain stimulation experiments. In the first experiment, participants were screened based on The Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS) and were divided into two groups with skeptics and paranormal believers and performed the AX continuous Performance task (AX-CPT). In the second experiment, paranormal believers were randomly assigned into one of three groups of rDLPFC, rIFG, and Sham stimulation (2 mA, 20 min) while performing the AX-CPT task. The results of the first experiment showed that there was a significant difference between groups (believers vs. skeptics) in the BX, BY trials, and AX and BY trials in RT and accuracy respectively. Additionally, the results of the second experiment showed that there was a significant difference between the rDLPFC and Sham groups in the BY trial on RT. There was also a significant difference between the rDLPFC and rIFG groups in the BX trial. In addition, the results showed a significant difference between the rDLPFC and rIFG groups in the BX, and BY trials on accuracy. These findings highlight the relationship between DMC, paranormal beliefs, and the underlying neural mechanisms.