This 3 sentence summary provides the key points from the document: The document discusses two questionnaire studies that examined whether beliefs that random events have a purpose are a form of supernatural thinking, and whether confusions about psychology, biology, and physics can predict beliefs in the purpose of events and paranormal beliefs. The studies found support for the hypotheses that beliefs in the purpose of events are part of the same phenomenon as paranormal beliefs, and that confusions across core knowledge domains can predict both sets of beliefs. The results indicate construing events in terms of purpose is an individual cognitive bias rather than a universal tendency.

1. Believing in the purpose of events—why does it occur,
and is it supernatural?
1. Annika M. Svedholm,
2. Marjaana Lindeman,
3. Jari Lipsanen
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Volume 24, Issue 2, pages 252–265, February 2010
Abstract
What is the cognitive basis for the common belief that random events have a purpose, and are these
beliefs a form of supernatural thinking, as Bering has suggested? Two questionnaire studies with Finnish
volunteer participants (N = 2650, 1830 females, mean age 26) used structural equation modelling (SEM) to
test the hypotheses that beliefs in the purpose of events are part of the same phenomenon as paranormal
beliefs and that confusions of core knowledge of the psychological, biological and physical domains predict
both sets of beliefs. In Study 1, participants were not given a definition of purpose, and in Study 2, purpose
was explicitly defined as entailing planning by a supernatural agent. The results from both studies
supported the predictions. The results indicate that construing events in terms of purpose is not a universal
tendency but an individual cognitive bias that can be accounted for by false analogies from intuitive
psychology, biology and physics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acp.1560/abstract