Hypnotic susceptibility and the perception of afterimages and dot stimuli

Three experiments were conducted to determine the relationship between hypnotic susceptibility level and the susceptibility to several perceptual phenomena. Experiment I required subjects to observe an induced afterimage in a light-proofed environment and to report the frequency of direction and color changes. In addition, subjects reported the persistence of the afterimage. Experiment II involved the observation of a black dot against a white background, with frequency of observed movement being the dependent measure. Experiment III was similar to the second experiment except that the stimulus was encompassed by a frame. In Experiments I and II, subjects judged high in hypnotic susceptibility reported perceiving the strongest effect. This phenomenon was virtually eliminated in the third experiment. These results were interpreted as supporting a process whereby subjects judged high in hypnotic susceptibility are better able to selectively attend to relevant cues in a stimulus array during conditions of perceptual impoverishment.