PS508-6-AU-CO:
"Believing is Seeing". The power of belief and suggestion on the mind and brain
2025/26
Psychology
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 6
Current
Thursday 02 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
15
06 March 2025
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
These are only some of the questions we will address: Why do people indulge in magical thinking? What happens in our brains during hypnosis and meditation? How easy is it to implant a false memory? How powerful is the effect of an inert drug when we believe it does have a healing action?
We will first set out the levels of interpretations, the lens through which we will discuss mind, brain, and behavioural correlates of suggestion- and belief-laden phenomena. You will be asked to reflect on the learning material by creating connections between the different themes, everyday life, and other aspects of social life, including your own experience. This integrative approach will aim to spark comprehensive understanding of the general mechanisms governing the human mind. Your active role and reflective approach to learning will contribute to a transformative learning experience and personal growth, whether you believe it or not!
There is no textbook; you will be expected to read several journal articles that report empirical research and theoretical discussion in the field. You will be asked to reflect on and critically assess the science of belief and suggestion, demonstrating understanding of the relations between theory, method, and evidence.
The aims of this module are:
- To increase students’ awareness and understanding of how suggestions and beliefs affect us.
- To encourage critical thinking on empirical research as well as extending reflection on their personal life.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the psychological and neural processes involved in belief- and suggestion-based phenomena.
- Critically evaluate empirical research and scientific opinions in the specific areas of enquiry covered during the module.
- Integrate their understanding of scientific knowledge with everyday life and societal relevance of the learning material.
- Demonstrate reflection that will mean you can go beyond descriptive approach to the learning material and reveal understanding and consolidation thereof.
Weekly lectures will consist of an introduction to each topic of the module. A central part of each lecture is to present and discuss data originating from psychological sciences and neurosciences. Multimedia will support teaching, and students will be encouraged to interact with Q&As and quizzes, as well as further explore other available material on the web.
Students will have homework activities to complete in the shape of a reflective diary. The module will be supported through Moodle. The Moodle platform will be used as module repository, and primary means of communication. Questions regarding the module need to be posted via the discussion forum on Moodle.
This module will consist of lectures and workshops aimed to provide more insight on coursework. Students will be expected to attend all the classes as interaction is an important element of the learning experience within this module. Class discussion will increase your ability to reflect, collaborate, and communicate your ideas.
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Michael H. Connors and Peter W. Halligan (2015) 'A cognitive account of belief: a tentative road map',
Frontiers in Psychology, 5. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01588.
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Firestone, C. and Scholl, B.J. (2016) 'Cognition does not affect perception: Evaluating the evidence for "top-down” effects',
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 39. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X15000965.
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Joel Pearson and Stephen M. Kosslyn (2015) 'The heterogeneity of mental representation: Ending the imagery debate',
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112(33), pp. 10089–10092. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26464860.
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Eugene Subbotsky (2014) 'The Belief in Magic in the Age of Science',
SAGE Open, 4(1). Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014521433.
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Richard Wiseman and Emma Greening (2010) 'It's still bending: Verbal suggestion and alleged psychokinetic ability',
British Journal of Psychology, 96(1), pp. 115–127. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1348/000712604X15428.
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Sloman, S.A. and Rabb, N. (2016) 'Your Understanding Is My Understanding',
Psychological Science, 27(11), pp. 1451–1460. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616662271.
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Wason, P.C. (1968) 'Reasoning about a Rule',
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 20(3), pp. 273–281. Available at:
http://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/biases/20_Quarterly_J_Experimental_Psychology_273_(Wason).pdf.
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Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1982) 'On the study of statistical intuitions',
Cognition, 11(2), pp. 123–141. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/0010-0277(82)90022-1.
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Raymond S. Nickerson (1998) 'Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises',
Review of General Psychology, 2(2), pp. 175–220. Available at:
https://pages.ucsd.edu/~mckenzie/nickersonConfirmationBias.pdf.
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Heather M. Gray, Kurt Gray, and Daniel M. Wegner (2007) 'Dimensions of Mind Perception',
Science, 315(5812), pp. 619–619. Available at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/20038880.
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Griggs, R.A. and Cox, J.R. (1982) 'The elusive thematic-materials effect in Wason's selection task',
British Journal of Psychology, 73(3), pp. 407–420. Available at:
https://search-ebscohost-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bsu&AN=5698083&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=s9814295.
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Adam Waytz, Nicholas Epley, and John T. Cacioppo (2010) 'Social cognition unbound: Insights into anthropomorphism and dehumanization',
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 19(1), pp. 58–62. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721409359302.
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Cushman, F. (2015) 'Deconstructing intent to reconstruct morality',
Current Opinion in Psychology, 6, pp. 97–103. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.06.003.
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Mendelsohn, A.
et al. (2008) 'Mesmerizing Memories: Brain Substrates of Episodic Memory Suppression in Posthypnotic Amnesia',
Neuron, 57(1), pp. 159–170. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.11.022.
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Rainville, P.
et al. (1997) 'Pain Affect Encoded in Human Anterior Cingulate But Not Somatosensory Cortex',
Science, 277(5328), pp. 968–971. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5328.968.
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Tammi R. A. Kral
et al. (2018) 'Impact of short- and long-term mindfulness meditation training on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli',
NeuroImage, 181, pp. 301–313. Available at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811918306256?via%3Dihub.
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Van Dam, N.T.
et al. (2018) 'Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation',
Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(1), pp. 36–61. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617709589.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Reflective Diary 1 |
|
50% |
| Coursework |
Reflective Diary 2 |
|
50% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Elia Valentini, email: evalent@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Elia Valentini, Dr Helge Gillmeister
evalent@essex.ac.uk
Yes
No
No
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 2 hours, 2 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
Psychology
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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