How we won the James Randi $1,000,000 Paranormal Challenge

[Angrboda]

This reminds me of a psychological concept that I recently encountered, namely "dysrationalia," or the inability to form rational judgements despite adequate intelligence. It sounds rather sketchy and I haven't investigated further than the Wikipedia entry, but if it could be developed into a full fledged psychological construct, I suspect it would have wide applicability. Jstrodel would be another example of a case of dysrationalia. Though I can't even begin to think how one would operationalize the idea, as intelligence is typically defined as the ability to develop right solutions to problems; yet, if dysrationalia is valid, certain problems of judgement elude someone with otherwise robust problem solving ability.

Dysrationalia is defined as the inability to think and behave rationally despite adequate intelligence. The concept of dysrationalia was first proposed by psychologist Keith Stanovich in the early 1990s. Stanovich classifies dysrationalia as a learning disability and characterizes it as a difficulty in belief formation, in assessing belief consistency, or in the determination of action to achieve one's goals. This concept has not gone unchallenged, however. Special education researcher Kenneth Kavale notes that dysrationalia may be more aptly categorized as a thinking disorder rather than a learning disability, because it does not have a direct impact upon academic performance. Further, psychologist Robert Sternberg argues that the construct of dysrationalia needs to be better conceptualized: it lacks a real theory (explaining why people are dysrational and how they become this way) and operationalization (how dysrationalia could be measured). Sternberg also notes that the concept has the potential for misuse, as one may label another as dysrational simply because he or she does not agree with the other person's view. Stanovich has replied to both Kavale and Sternberg. He has elaborated on the dysrationalia concept in a later book.

— Wikipedia: