Subject 4 - Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis Flashcards
What did developing the Harvard and Stanford hypnotic scales accomplish?
They standardized the hypnotic response by operationalizing the exhibitions of hypnosis
Out of the two major scales for measuring the hypnotic response, which one is easier to run?
The Harvard scale
Which of the two scales is easier to apply to groups?
The Harvard scale
What is the range of stuff that is measured by a hypnotic scale?
From a state point of view (depth of response) to a performance based view (number of difficulty of items)
Why did the development of scales help researchers?
It facilitated experimentation because now there was a standardized measure
What types of suggestions can we use to measure hypnotic responses?
- ideo-motor suggestions
- challenge items
- cognitive item
What are ideo-motor items?
Suggestion to direct attention to a certain kind of movement, which leads to a motor response
- has a high difficulty index (meaning that a higher percentage of people can accomplish the item)
What are challenge items?
A suggestion to block an ideo-motor suggestion (ex. you can’t bend your arm)
- has a medium difficulty index
What are cognitive items?
A suggestion that is based on imagination (ex. visual hallucination or age regression)
- has a low difficulty index (meaning a small percentage of people can accomplish the task)
How many items does the Harvard scale have? The Stanford scale?
Both have 12 items
Which scale should we use to evaluate whether someone is highly or low hypnotizable?
The Harvard scale
Why is the Stanford scale more difficult for people to accomplish?
Because it is mostly made up of cognitive items (8/12)
What is a positive hallucination?
Seeing something that is not there
What is a negative hallucination?
Not seeing something that is there
What is the difficulty index measured by?
The percentage of people who pass the item
- high DI = easy item
- low DI = difficult item
What two standards can either scale have?
Subjective measurements (i.e. how deeply did you feel hypnotized) and objective measurements (did the participant pass the item or not?)
What kinds of questions might a researcher ask to find out the subjective qualities of hypnosis?
- did you feel that you were hypnotized?
- did you feel like you were floating?
- was it a similar sensation to sleeping?
Are the different scales measuring the same thing?
No; r = .59
Is hypnotizability a consistent trait?
Yes, it peaks in pre-adolescents and remains stable across the lifetime
What is an intrinsic measure?
Studies hypnosis and/or hypnotizability per se
What is an instrumental measure?
Uses hypnosis to study another phenomenon (ex. memory or hallucinations)
What is a more accurate definition for hypnotizability?
It is the contextual performance measured in a hypnotic context
