Christopher Charles French (born 1956) is a British
psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual
Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...
specialising in the psychology of
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
beliefs and experiences, cognition and emotion. He is the head of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
's
anomalistic Psychology
In psychology, anomalistic psychology is the study of human behaviour and experience connected with what is often called the paranormal, with few assumptions made about the validity (or otherwise) of the reported phenomena.
Early history
Accord ...
Research Unit and appears regularly in the media as an expert on testing paranormal claims.
Career
After French completed his PhD he taught adult education classes in which he also addressed
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
and
extrasensory perception
Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, is a claimed paranormal ability pertaining to reception of information not gained through the recognized physical senses, but sensed with the mind. The term was adopted by Duke Universit ...
.
French is currently Professor Emeritus of
Psychology
Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...
at
Goldsmiths College, University of London, and is head of their Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit
which he founded in 2000.
On the importance of
anomalistic psychology
In psychology, anomalistic psychology is the study of human behaviour and experience connected with what is often called the paranormal, with few assumptions made about the validity (or otherwise) of the reported phenomena.
Early history
Accord ...
he said in an interview on
The Skeptic Zone,
The focus of his current research is the
psychology
Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...
of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences.
In addition to academic activities, such as conference presentations and invited talks in other departments, he frequently appears on radio and television presenting a sceptical view of paranormal claims.
He has been consulted as an expert on a wide range of such claims including
psychic abilities,
recovered memory
Repressed memory is an inability to recall autobiographical information, usually of a traumatic or stressful nature. The concept originated in psychoanalytic theory where repression is defined as a protective mechanism that excludes memory of ...
,
telepathy
Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic ...
,
faith healing
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...
,
past life regression
Past life regression is a method that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations. The practice is widely considered discredited and unscientific by medical practitioners, and experts generally re ...
,
ghosts
A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...
,
UFO
An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...
abductions,
out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience (OBE or sometimes OOBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world from a location outside their physical body. An OBE is a form of autoscopy (literally "seeing self"), although this term is more commonly us ...
s,
astrology
Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...
and so on.
Academia
French teaches a course entitled ''
Psychology
Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...
,
Parapsychology
Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena ( extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related t ...
and
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...
'' as part of the
BSc (Hons)
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
Psychology programmes at both Goldsmiths College and
Birkbeck College
, mottoeng = Advice comes over nightTranslation used by Birkbeck.
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £4.3 m (2014)
, budget = £10 ...
. He is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society.
During his 2014 interview for the
Skeptic Zone Podcast, Chris acknowledged that, as a sceptic, he believed in paranormal activities until he became more aware of the psychology behind why people believe, a point made clear to him through a book written by Professor of Psychology
James Alcock:
He has authored or co-authored over 80 articles and chapters dealing with a wide variety of subjects in psychology, his work has been published in the
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
The ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology'' (formerly ''Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Social Psychology'' and ''Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology'') is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by the American Psychological Association (A ...
, the
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, the
British Journal of Psychology and the
British Journal of Clinical Psychology.
In August 1996, he organised and chaired an integrated paper session on the topic of The Psychology of Paranormal and Pseudoscientific Beliefs at the XXVI International Congress of Psychology in
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...
.
He also contributed to a symposium on The Psychology of Anomalous Experience at the
British Science Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
annual
British Science Festival at the
University of Birmingham
, mottoeng = Through efforts to heights
, established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...
in September 1996.
In July 1997, he chaired a symposium on The Psychology of Paranormal Belief at the Fifth European Congress of Psychology in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...
. He presented a paper at a conference on Paranormal and Superstitious Beliefs: A Skeptical Examination at
Manchester Metropolitan University on Friday 13, November, 1998.
In February 1999, he contributed to a symposium of the
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society (RSS) is an established statistical society. It has three main roles: a British learned society for statistics, a professional body for statisticians and a charity which promotes statistics for the public good.
...
(which he co-organised). In July 1999, he co-organised and presented a paper at a half-day conference on Parapsychology: Current Status and Future Prospects at Goldsmiths College and gave a paper at the Sixth European Congress of Psychology in Rome.
In February 2001, he gave an invited presentation to the Institute for Cultural Research
at the
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London.
History
The Society was established in 1805 as Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, meeting in two rooms in barristers’ chambers ...
and he has organised two symposia at major conferences (Glasgow, March 2001; London, July 2001).
In 2001, French tested the effects of
crystal healing
Crystal healing is a pseudoscientific alternative-medicine practice that uses semiprecious stones and crystals such as quartz, agate, amethyst or opal. Adherents of the practice claim that these have healing powers, but there is no scientifi ...
with the results suggesting that they are largely
placebo
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general ...
effects. 80 volunteers were given a questionnaire to gauge their level of belief about paranormal phenomena. Later they were given what they were told was a genuine crystal, and asked to meditate for 10 minutes and then report the sensations they experienced. Half of the subjects had actually been given fake plastic crystals instead. French found no difference between the feelings reported between the two groups.
In 2004, French and colleagues conducted an experiment involving
electromagnetic field
An electromagnetic field (also EM field or EMF) is a classical (i.e. non-quantum) field produced by (stationary or moving) electric charges. It is the field described by classical electrodynamics (a classical field theory) and is the classical ...
s (EMF) and extremely low frequency sound waves (
infrasound) phenomena that have been associated with allegedly haunted locations, the experiment did not establish a causal relationship between these phenomena and experiences of the subjects.
A study, led by French and published in 2008, explored the psychology of people who believed they had been abducted by aliens.
In January 2010, French was elected as a Fellow of the
Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "pro ...
French,
Richard Wiseman and
Stuart Ritchie each tried to replicate
Daryl Bem's claim about
psychic powers
This is a list of alleged psychic abilities that have been attributed to real-world people. Many of these abilities pertain to variations of extrasensory perception or the ''sixth sense''. Superhuman abilities from fiction are not included.
Psyc ...
independently and failed at publishing their findings in high-profile journals. This is a common problem with publishing negative results, as
novel research is more sought-after. They subsequently submitted their paper to
PLOS One, an open access journal, of which's concept French became a supporter.
Science communication
French is a former Editor-in-Chief of
''The Skeptic'' (UK) magazine.
He presided over a relaunch, in 2009, in which the magazine expanded to 40 pages and assembled an editorial advisory board, including many big names (e.g.
Tim Minchin,
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
, Richard Wiseman,
Simon Singh).
From 2009 to 2016, French has been a columnist for ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'' newspaper exploring scepticism and anomalistic psychology.
He has appeared on various science programmes (e.g. ''
Equinox
A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...
'', ''
ScienceNow'', ''
All in the Mind'') and documentaries (e.g. ''
Heart of the Matter'', ''
Everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin
The term ''everyman'' was used as early as ...
'') as well as numerous discussion programmes (e.g. ''
Esther''; ''
The Time, The Place
''The Time, The Place'' was a British audience participation talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Tim ...
''; ''
Kilroy
Kilroy may refer to:
* Kilroy (surname)
* ''Kilroy'' (TV series), a BBC day time chat show hosted by Robert Kilroy-Silk
* Kilroy, a main character beginning with Season 2 in the television series '' Taken''
* Kilroy's College, a distance educat ...
''; ''
This Morning'').
In 1997, he was one of three sceptics sitting on a panel for a 90-minute live debate on UFOs broadcast at peak viewing time by the ''
Strange but True?'' team to mark the 50th anniversary of UFOs.
In 1998, he took part in an investigation of reincarnation claims amongst the
Druze
The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...
people of
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, broadcast as part of the ''
To the Ends of the Earth
''To the Ends of the Earth'' is the title given to a trilogy of nautical, relational novels—''Rites of Passage'' (1980), ''Close Quarters'' (1987), and ''Fire Down Below'' (1989)—by British author William Golding. Set on a former British ...
'' series. This involved spending around three weeks in Lebanon with a film crew.
He made regular appearances on
ITV's programme ''
Haunted Homes''. He also makes appearances in the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
documentary series ''
Tony Robinson and the Paranormal''.
In November 2013, French was featured as the keynote speaker for the 2013 Australian Skeptics National Convention in Canberra.
In 2017, French attended the 17th
European Skeptics Congress
European Skeptics Congresses (ESCs) – a series of congresses now supported by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations (ECSO), in which skeptical organisations from many different European countries participate. They have been held ever si ...
(ESC) in Old Town Wrocław, Poland. This was organised by the
Klub Sceptyków Polskich (Polish Skeptics Club) and
Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos
Český klub skeptiků Sisyfos (English: ''Czech Skeptics' Club Sisyfos'') is a Czech skeptical nonprofit organisation founded in 1994, headquartered in Prague. Its primary goal and mission is to spread and defend the findings and results of contem ...
(Czech Skeptic's Club). Here he appeared on a panel to discuss exorcisms. The panel was chaired by
Amardeo Sarma and included Mariusz Błochowiak,
Konrad Szołajski and
Jakub Kroulík.
Works
Book
Co-edited book
Selected book sections
Selected articles
References
External links
Chris French's Goldsmiths Homepage*
Student BMJ; Medicine and magicScience Weekly: The paranormal ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'', 28 September 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:French, Chris
1956 births
Living people
Academics of Birkbeck, University of London
Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London
Anomalistic psychology
Critics of parapsychology
English psychologists
English sceptics
Place of birth missing (living people)
People from the Royal Borough of Greenwich
People associated with The Institute for Cultural Research