Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 31, 2025
06:33
Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation
Published on: January 5, 2014
12.2K
UNITED KINGDOM NORMS FOR THE HARVARD GROUP SCALE OF HYPNOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, FORM A
David A Oakley1,2, Eamonn Walsh3, Ann-Mari Lillelokken3
1Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, UK.
The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
|January 9, 2020
Summary
The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A), shows consistent psychometric properties in a UK sample, supporting its use in research. Minor adjustments to scoring may enhance its accuracy in measuring suggestibility.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A) is a key tool for assessing suggestibility in research.
- Existing normative data for the HGSHS:A predominantly comes from Western populations.
- Variations in methodologies across previous studies warrant examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize existing Western normative studies of the HGSHS:A.
- To analyze the psychometric properties of the HGSHS:A in a contemporary United Kingdom (UK) sample.
- To discuss the HGSHS:A's utility and potential improvements for measuring suggestibility.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of previous HGSHS:A normative studies.
- Psychometric evaluation of the HGSHS:A using a large UK participant sample.
- Analysis of response distribution and item difficulty.
Main Results:
- UK sample results align closely with previous Western norms for HGSHS:A.
- Minor differences observed in response distribution and item difficulty.
- Psychometric properties in the UK sample are consistent with established findings.
Conclusions:
- The HGSHS:A demonstrates reliable psychometric properties in a UK population.
- Continued use of HGSHS:A for screening is supported, with recommendations for scoring adjustments.
- The HGSHS:A remains a valuable measure for direct verbal suggestibility.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Conformity
47.7K
Conformity is the change in a person’s behavior to go along with the group, even if that person does not agree with the group.
47.7K
01:23Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview
1.3K
Sedatives are drugs that alleviate anxiety, while hypnotics induce sleep. Both classes of medication suppress neuronal activity, leading to a calming effect for sedatives and facilitating sleep for hypnotics.
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
1.3K
01:34Groupthink
48.9K
When in group settings, we are often influenced by the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around us. Groupthink is another phenomenon of conformity where modification of the opinions of members in a group aligns with what they believe is the group consensus (Janis, 1972). In such situations, the group often takes action that individuals would not perform outside the group setting because groups make more extreme decisions than individuals do. Moreover, groupthink can hinder opposing trains of...
48.9K
00:52Social Proof
31.4K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
31.4K
00:57Deindividuation
30.1K
Deindividuation is a form of social influence on an individual’s behavior such that the individual engages in unusual or non-normal behavior while in a group setting. Why? Because in these group settings, the individual no longer sees themselves as an individual anymore, disinhibiting their behavior and personal restraint.
30.1K
01:20Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates
860
Sedatives and hypnotics encompass a drug class that acts on the central nervous system (CNS) to alleviate anxiety, promote relaxation and induce sleep.These drugs function by amplifying the actions of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), resulting in reduced neuronal activity. Barbiturates, a subset of sedatives and hypnotics first synthesized in the late 1800s, are categorized into ultra-short, short, intermediate, and long-acting groups based on their duration of effect. A...
860