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Abstract
An experiment was designed to determine the impact of different versions of a news story on UFO beliefs. Of particular interest was the impact of story information that would either cast doubt upon the reality of UFOs or lend credence to their existence. The effect of including a scientific authority in the story was also examined. Results revealed that participants were more likely to express belief in UFOs when the story included a scientific authority who spoke in favor of UFOs’ existence. A scientific authority who discredited the existence of UFOs did not produce lower levels of UFO beliefs.
