Biomedical subjects

W Braffman

Publications and source records attributed to W Braffman.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Imaginative suggestibility and hypnotizability: an empirical analysis.

Hypnotic and nonhypnotic suggestibility were investigated in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1, nonhypnotic suggestibility was suppressed when measured after hypnotic suggestibility, whereas hypnotic suggestibility was not affected by the order of assessment. Experiment 2 confirmed a small but significant effect of hypnosis on suggestibility when nonhypnotic suggestibility was measured first. Nonhypnotic suggestibility was correlated with absorption, fantasy proneness, motivation, and response expectancy, but only expectancy predicted suggestibility when the other variables were controlled. Behavioral response to hypnosis was predicted by nonhypnotic suggestibility, motivation, and expectancy in a model accounting for 53% of the variance. Experiential response to hypnotic suggestion was predicted only by nonhypnotic suggestibility. Unexpectedly, hypnosis was found to decrease suggestibility for a substantial minority of participants.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Attentional resources in hypnotic responding.

Theories of hypnotic responding differ regarding attentional processes. Predictions derived from neodissociation, dissociation control, response set, and ironic process theory were tested by administering suggestions with and without cognitive load to high suggestible participants and low suggestible simulators. Cognitive load interfered with responses to ideomotor and cognitive suggestions but not with responses to challenge suggestions. The effect of cognitive load on suggested amnesia depended on the assessment of that response. Although cognitive load decreased recall on the amnesia trial, it did so even more on recall trials before the amnesia suggestion was given and after it was canceled. These data indicate that attentional effort is required for both recall and memory suppression. Under conditions of low cognitive load, simulators displayed less recall than did nonsimulating participants during suggested amnesia, and they reported smaller subjective responses to ideomotor and challenge suggestions.

Adult↗