Attention or instruction: Do sustained attentional abilities really differ between high and low hypnotisable persons?

ABSTRACT: Previous research has suggested that highly hypnotisable participants ('highs') are more sensitive to the bistability of ambiguous figures-as evidenced by reporting more perspective changes of a Necker cube-than low hypnotisable participants ('lows'). This finding has been interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that highs have more efficient sustained attentional abilities than lows. However, the higher report of perspective changes in highs in comparison to lows may reflect the implementation of different expectation-based strategies as a result of differently constructed demand characteristics according to one's level of hypnotisability. Highs, but not lows, might interpret an instruction to report perspective changes as an instruction to report many changes. Using a Necker cube as our

SUBMITTER: Martin JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6013507 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature