Forer effect
{'<entity_0>': 'Barnum effect', '<entity_1>': 'P. T. Barnum', '<entity_2>': 'Forer effect', '<entity_3>': 'Psychology'}
[['Forer effect', 'named after', 'P. T. Barnum'], ['Forer effect', 'part of', 'Psychology'], ['Forer effect', 'alternative', 'Barnum effect']]
The <entity_0>, also called the <entity_2> or, less commonly, the Barnum–<entity_2>, is a common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet which are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. The term "<entity_0>" was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl in his essay Wanted – A Good Cookbook, because he relates the vague personality descriptions used in certain "pseudo-successful" psychological tests to those given by showman <entity_1>. Michael Birnbaum, a Professor of <entity_3> at California State University, Fullerton, has noted that the <entity_2> is used by magicians and psychics when they give so-called "cold readings", as well as by certain TV personalities who claim psychoanalytical expertise and profess to be able to diagnose a guest's psychological problems in a few minutes.
['cognitive bias']