Christopher Charles French (born 1956) is a British psychologist and one of the leading figures in Anomalistic Psychology, focusing on the psychology of paranormal beliefs and anomalous experiences. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he founded and led the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit (APRU).[1]
Career
French joined the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths in 1985, serving as Head of Department between 1997 and 2000, and remained there until his retirement in 2020.[2] He began teaching an optional module in anomalistic psychology as part of Goldsmiths' BSc programme in 1995, and founded the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in 2000, in part to raise the academic profile and respectability of the subject within mainstream psychology.[3]
His research has spanned conspiracy theories, false memories, Sleep Paralysis, the ideomotor effect, and cognitive biases underlying paranormal belief more broadly, alongside investigation of specific claims including psychic abilities, reported ghosts, UFO abduction claims, and astrology.[2] He has served as an external PhD examiner, including for Ciarán O'Keeffe's 2005 doctorate at the University of Hertfordshire.
Public science communication
French is a prominent media commentator on paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, appearing regularly on radio and television and writing for The Guardian. He served as Editor-in-Chief of The Skeptic (UK) magazine, and co-edited a retrospective collection of its writing, Why Statues Weep: The Best of The Skeptic (2010), with Wendy M. Grossman.[4]
Publications
French has published over 150 academic articles and book chapters. His books include Anomalistic Psychology (2012), co-authored with Nicola Holt, Christine Simmonds-Moore, and David Luke, and Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience (2013), co-authored with Anna Stone — a standard academic textbook in the field.[2]
Recognition
French is a Chartered Psychologist and a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Royal Society of Arts, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and a patron of Humanists UK.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "Chris French."HandWiki.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Christopher French."Grokipedia.
- ↑ "Why We Believe the Unbelievable: Professor Chris French on the Psychology of the Paranormal."All About Psychology (Substack).
- ↑ "Chris French."Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Christopher French."Goldsmiths, University of London.