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Why do materialists remain skeptical of claims from psychical research?

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Bronze bust of Epicurus with a full beard and draped clothing, displayed on a round inscribed base at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. — Materialism Epicurus, bronze bust from a Greek original, c. 280–270 bce; in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples.

Materialists remain skeptical of claims from psychical research primarily because these alleged phenomena are not accepted by the general scientific community.1

Materialism is the philosophical view that all facts, including those concerning the human mind, are causally dependent upon or reducible to physical processes. Because materialists operate within a framework that seeks to explain the world through a unified, mechanistic picture of science, they generally postpone the discussion of spiritualistic or paranormal claims until such time as they are validated by rigorous scientific standards.213

Furthermore, many of the phenomena investigated in psychical research—such as extrasensory perception or psychokinesis—appear to operate outside the bounds of established natural laws. Since the scientific community remains largely skeptical of these reports, materialists maintain their position, viewing such claims as currently unsupported by conclusive evidence.41