Can You Believe It? An Abbreviation of the Magical Ideation Scale
Author(s): Kaiwei Bai
Abstract: Magical ideation reflects beliefs in implausible forms of causation and is commonly assessed using Eckblad and Chapman’s Magical Ideation Scale (MIS). Although widely used, the 30-item MIS can be burdensome in research requiring brief assessment. The present study developed and evaluated a shortened 7-item version of the MIS in a sample of 188 university students. Seven items meeting a conservative item–total correlation criterion were retained to form the Magic-7. The abbreviated scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (α = .77), a unidimensional structure, and strong correspondence with the full MIS (r = .84), sharing over 70% of its variance. Scores were unrelated to age or gender. Results support the Magic-7 as a brief, psychometrically sound measure of magical ideation suitable for stand-alone use. Additional research is needed to confirm its validity.
Keywords: Magical ideation; Schizotypy; Scale development; Individual differences; Belief systems; Short forms
Article: e22007
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