Biomaterial Database

Hypnotizability and automaticity: toward a parallel distributed processing model of hypnotic responding. 1990

M Dixon, and A Brunet, and J R Laurence

Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

We tested a hypothesis from parallel distributed processing theory that highly hypnotizable subjects have greater connection strengths along verbal pathways and would show greater Stroop effects than low hypnotizable subjects. Using Cheesman & Merikle's (1986) paradigm, which varied cue visibility and probability, we assessed automatic and strategic effects on Stroop performance. Compared with 9 low and 9 moderately hypnotizable subjects, 9 highly hypnotizable ones showed significantly greater Stroop effects for both visible- and degraded-word trials. No strategic differences emerged for the 3 hypnotizability groups. These findings support the contention that highly hypnotizable persons have stronger verbal connection strengths than their moderately and low susceptible counterparts, and they may account for highly hypnotizable persons' propensity to disregard personal attributions and label their responses in hypnosis as being involuntary.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006990	Hypnosis	A state of increased receptivity to suggestion and direction, initially induced by the influence of another person or oneself.	Autohypnosis,Clinical Hypnosis,Hypnoanalysis,Mesmerism,Self-Hypnosis,Hypnotherapy,Hypnotism,Hypnosis, Clinical,Hypnotherapies,Self Hypnosis
D010364	Pattern Recognition, Visual	Mental process to visually perceive a critical number of facts (the pattern), such as characters, shapes, displays, or designs.	Recognition, Visual Pattern,Visual Pattern Recognition
D003118	Color Perception	Mental processing of chromatic signals (COLOR VISION) from the eye by the VISUAL CORTEX where they are converted into symbolic representations. Color perception involves numerous neurons, and is influenced not only by the distribution of wavelengths from the viewed object, but also by its background color and brightness contrast at its boundary.	Color Perceptions,Perception, Color,Perceptions, Color
D004193	Discrimination Learning	Learning that is manifested in the ability to respond differentially to various stimuli.	Discriminative Learning,Discrimination Learnings,Discriminative Learnings,Learning, Discrimination,Learning, Discriminative
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328	Adult	A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available.	Adults
D001288	Attention	Focusing on certain aspects of current experience to the exclusion of others. It is the act of heeding or taking notice or concentrating.	Focus of Attention,Selective Attention,Social Attention,Attention Focus,Attention, Selective,Attention, Social,Selective Attentions
D001332	Automatism	Automatic, mechanical, and apparently undirected behavior which is outside of conscious control.
D001364	Awareness	The act of "taking account" of an object or state of affairs. It does not imply assessment of, nor attention to the qualities or nature of the object.	Situation Awareness,Situational Awareness,Awareness, Situation,Awareness, Situational,Awarenesses,Awarenesses, Situation,Awarenesses, Situational,Situation Awarenesses,Situational Awarenesses
D012660	Semantics	The relationships between symbols and their meanings.	Semantic