Relatedness and waking suggestibility

Abstract

Volunteering pairs of Ss took 9 waking tests (WT) of hypnotic susceptibility as one part of a larger study. Pairs included siblings, friends, and strangers. Concordance correlations from 20 sibling pairs were positive for 7 of the 9 WT, 2 significantly so. For 19 pairs of strangers, correlations were insignificant, 5 positive, 4 negative. These data reopen nature-nurture questions about the origins of individual differences in hypnotic aptitude. Concordance data from 27 female friend pairs and 10 male friend pairs are confusing and are not interpreted here. For 20 pairs of cross-sex friends, however, 7 of 9 correlations were negative, 1 significant, and 2 approaching significance. 6 of 9 concordance correlations from 16 spouse pairs were also negative, but none was significant.