title: Schizotypy, self-referential thinking and the Barnum effect.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The tendency for people to endorse, as an accurate description of themselves, personality descriptions that are essentially bogus is well-attested. The study tested whether the so-called 'Barnum' effect could be predicted by individual differences in self-referential thinking, and beyond this, schizotypy more generally.
  
  
  METHODS
  130 Participants completed four different measures of the Barnum effect followed by measures of schizotypy and self-referential thinking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both self-referential thinking and positive schizotypy independently predicted the degree of agreement with several Barnum measures including both favorable and unfavorable personality descriptions, as well as computer-generated and horoscope-based readings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sample is heavily represented by students and is not representative of the general population. Testing at a single point in time may have reduced differences between different indices of the Barnum effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-referential thinking and schizotypy more generally are key contributors to the Barnum effect across a wide range of indices.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1N 6BT, United Kingdom. o.mason@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Budge
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012569:Schizotypal Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D013850:Thinking