Why does magic work? What is the psychology behind it?
At the University of British Columbia we are trying to answer these questions.
We study the psychology of magic: how magic works in the mind.
Current research: Card magic
What are the most commonly chosen cards? How do magicians influence choices?
We conducted experiments examining a common tool used by magicians: playing cards. This is the first study to examine the psychology of card magic.
Our paper, “Perceptual and Cognitive Characteristics of Common Playing Cards”, has been published (open access until 1 Aug 2012) in the journal Perception.
Press
Our research has been featured in the Vancouver Sun and 24 Hours Vancouver.
See the press page for details and the original
press releases.