Exploring Links Between ACT Scores, STEM Field Preferences, Academic Grades, and Hypnotizability

Interest in associations between intelligence and hypnotizability spans nearly a century; however, results have been mixed, leaving open the question of whether intelligence or cognitive ability is associated with hypnotic responsiveness. The present study explored links between scores from the American College Testing (ACT) exam, high school and college grade point averages (GPAs), choice of major in a STEM field, and hypnotizability among undergraduate students (N = 221). This study found significant negative correlations between ACT scores and students' initial hypnotizability assessment via the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A. Correlations were consistent across male and female students, behavioral and subjective indices of hypnotizability, and across subsets of HGSHS:A items (i.e., challenge and direct suggestion items). Results from regression analyses showed that ACT scores predicted hypnotizability beyond students' expectancy to be hypnotized. STEM choice and GPAs were not linked to hypnotizability. To date, this is the first exploration of ACT scores and choice of a STEM field as potential correlates of hypnotizability.