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Sex differences on the HGSHS:A
Jeffrey M Rudski1, Lauren C Marra, Kenneth R Graham
1Department of Psychology, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104, USA. rudski@muhlenberg.edu
The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
|February 11, 2004
Summary
Women generally score higher than men on hypnotic susceptibility, particularly on challenging items. This small overall difference is attributed to variations in item difficulty across the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Hypnosis Research
Background:
- Hypnotic susceptibility is a trait that varies among individuals.
- Previous research has explored potential demographic differences in hypnotic susceptibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sex differences in hypnotic susceptibility.
- To identify specific items on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility that contribute to observed differences.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 724 men and 1148 women over a 28-year period.
- Administration of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.
- Principal-components analysis to identify challenging items.
Main Results:
- Women scored higher than men overall in hypnotic susceptibility.
- The difference was most pronounced on 6 specific items, including several challenge items.
- The overall effect size for sex differences was small.
- Item difficulty varied and contributed to the observed differences.
Conclusions:
- Sex differences in hypnotic susceptibility exist but are generally small.
- Specific challenging items on the scale may be more sensitive to sex-based variations.
- Further research into item difficulty is warranted to fully understand these differences.