Trait phenomenological control predicts experience of mirror synaesthesia and the rubber hand illusion
Peter Lush, Vanessa Botan, R. B. Y. Scott, Anil K. Seth, Jamie Ward, Zoltan Dienes
Nature Communications September 25, 2020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18591-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 913 |
| Population | Participants in three large-sample studies |
| Keywords | Experiential learning Hypnotic susceptibility Hypnosis Trait Context archaeology Phenomenology philosophy Illusion of control Cognitive psychology Epistemology |
| Citations | 136 |
| Key findings | Hypnotisability substantially relates to experiential change in mirror-sensory synaesthesia and the rubber hand illusion, comparable to its relationship with hypnosis scale items. |
Abstract
In hypnotic responding, expectancies arising from imaginative suggestion drive striking experiential changes (e.g., hallucinations) - which are experienced as involuntary - according to a normally distributed and stable trait ability (hypnotisability). Such experiences can be triggered by implicit suggestion and occur outside the hypnotic context. In large sample studies (of 156, 404 and 353 participants), we report substantial relationships between hypnotisability and experimental measures of experiential change in mirror-sensory synaesthesia and the rubber hand illusion comparable to relationships between hypnotisability and individual hypnosis scale items. The control of phenomenology to meet expectancies arising from perceived task requirements can account for experiential change in psychological experiments.