Volitional and Nonvolitional Responses to Hypnotic Suggestions: Predictors and Subjective Experience

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility is a standard measure.
• Traditional scoring may not fully capture the nuances of hypnotic responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate deliberate, volitional responses to hypnotic suggestions.
• To compare traditional scoring with modified methods accounting for volitional effort.
• To examine correlates of hypnotic performance when volitional responses are considered.

Main Methods:

• Combined data from two studies using modified scoring of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility.
• Included subjective ratings of scale items, comparing nonvolitional, volitional, and non-responses.
• Analyzed recruitment methods and willingness for future participation.

Main Results:

• Traditional scoring inflated mean hypnotic responsiveness by nearly one point.
• Rapport and phenomenological measures of hypnosis increased significantly when volitional responses were accounted for.
• Individuals reporting deliberate responses were less likely to participate in future studies.

Conclusions:

• Future studies using hypnotic inventories should account for volitional responses.
• The nature of deliberately produced responses requires further examination using qualitative and quantitative data.
• Volitional responses can be subjectively rated as more real than non-responses, but nonvolitional responses are perceived as most real.