Seta learned that an uncle who had been in a serious car accident was in critical condition in the hospital. She had recently been thinking about her uncle and had the feeling he was going to die. When later he died, Seta wondered if her thinking about her uncle's death had something to do with what happened. Which kind of magical thinking is this experience MOST like?
A) The law of contagion
B) The law of similarity
C) Tempting fate
D) Apparent mental causation

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The experience of Seta is most similar to apparent mental causation, which is the belief that one's thoughts or intentions can influence external events. Seta believed that her thinking about her uncle's death had something to do with his actual death, which is an example of this type of magical thinking. The law of contagion (A) refers to the belief that objects that have been in contact continue to have an effect on each other even when separated, while the law of similarity (B) refers to the belief that things that resemble each other are connected in some way. Tempting fate (C) is the belief that by talking about or anticipating a negative event, one can make it more likely to happen.

Seta Learned That an Uncle Who Had Been in a Serious