An attempt to induce lower moral reasoning under hypnotic and task-motivated age regression

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• The Page (1985) study suggested hypnotic age regression influences moral reasoning.
• Prior research on hypnotic age regression and moral development has yielded mixed results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To partially replicate and extend the findings of Page (1985) regarding hypnotic age regression and moral reasoning.
• To investigate the impact of age regression on moral judgment in adults.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-two adults preselected for hypnotic susceptibility participated.
• Participants underwent hypnotic age regression to specific ages (16, 13, 10, 7) or received task-motivation instructions.
• Moral reasoning was assessed using the Kohlberg (1976) Moral Judgment Interview (MJI).

Main Results:

• Both hypnotic age regression and task-motivation groups showed lowered moral reasoning scores.
• No significant differences in score changes were observed between the two groups.
• The findings were inconsistent with Page (1985) but aligned with O'Brien et al. (1977).

Conclusions:

• Hypnotic age regression alone did not produce significantly different effects on moral reasoning compared to task-motivation instructions.
• The study failed to fully reaffirm the results of Page (1985).
• Further investigation is needed to understand the complex relationship between hypnosis, age regression, and moral development.