Posthypnotic suggestion as higher-order conditioning: A methodological and experimental analysis

Abstract

The hypothesis that hypnosis facilitates higher-order conditioning was tested. The results supported the 3 predictions made from the hypothesis: (a) The hypnosis group (N = 43) showed greater conditioning (p < .01) than the control group (N = 42); (b) the amount of conditioning for the hypnotic group was correlated with hypnotic depth (p < .01); and (c) this conditioned response, once formed, was a strong one, as evidenced by little extinction and the phenomenon of spontaneous recovery. The dependent variable, conditioned salivation, was measured by a unique procedure which allows large numbers of Ss to be measured simultaneously. The experimental design provided several innovative means for avoiding a number of shortcomings common to hypnosis experiments, including a most insidious one-the fact that most previous indicants of hypnosis have been misleading.