CLOSE ENCOUNTERS - AN EXAMINATION OF UFO EXPERIENCES

Ss who reported UFO experiences were divided into those whose experien ces were nonintense (eg., seeing lights and shapes in the sky) and tho se whose experiences were intense (eg., seeing and communicating with aliens or missing time). On a battery of objective tests Ss in these 2 groups did not score as more psychopathological, less intelligent, or more fantasy prone and hypnotizable than a community comparison group or a student comparison group. However, Ss in the UFO groups believed more strongly in space alien visitation than did comparison Ss. The U FO experiences of Ss in the intense group were more frequently sleep-r elated than the experiences of Ss in the nonintense group. Among the c ombined UFO Ss, intensity of UFO experiences correlated significantly with inventories that assessed proneness toward fantasy and unusual se nsory experiences. Implications are discussed.