Editing Barnum effect (section)

{{short description|Tendency to interpret vague statements as meaningful ones}}
{{for|the TV episode|The Irrational}}
{{redirect|Forer|people with the surname|Forer (surname)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
[[File:Bertram Forer.jpg|thumb|259x259px|Bertram Forer]]
The '''Barnum effect''', also called the '''Forer effect''' or, less commonly, the '''Barnum–Forer effect''', is a common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet which are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a broad range of people.<ref name=":0">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Barnum-Effect|title=Barnum Effect |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref> This effect can provide a partial explanation for the widespread acceptance of some paranormal beliefs and practices, such as [[astrology]], [[fortune telling]], [[Aura (paranormal)|aura reading]], and some types of [[personality test]]s.<ref name=":0" />

It was originally called the "fallacy of personal validation"<ref>{{Cite APA Dictionary of Psychology|title=Barnum Effect|access-date=December 31, 2021 |shortlink=barnum-effect|quote="The effect was termed the fallacy of personal validation by U.S. psychologist Bertram Robin Forer (1914–2000), who first studied it in 1949."}}</ref> by psychologist [[Bertram Forer]]. The term "Barnum effect" was coined in 1956 by psychologist [[Paul Meehl]] in his essay "Wanted – A Good Cookbook", because he relates the vague personality descriptions used in certain "pseudo-successful" psychological tests to those given by showman [[P. T. Barnum]].<ref name=Meehl1956>{{cite journal|last1=Meehl |first1=Paul E. |title=Wanted – A Good Cookbook |journal=American Psychologist |date=1956 |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=263–272 |doi=10.1037/h0044164 }}</ref><ref name="Dutton1988">{{cite journal|last1=Dutton|first1=D. L.|title=The cold reading technique|journal=[[Experientia]]|date=1988|volume=44|issue=4|pages=326–332|doi=10.1007/BF01961271|url=http://denisdutton.com/cold_reading.htm|language=en|pmid=3360083|s2cid=2382430|access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-date=January 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114055246/http://www.denisdutton.com/cold_reading.htm|url-status=dead|url-access=subscription}}</ref>