LACK OF CORRELATION BETWEEN HYPNOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY AND SEVERAL PERSONALITY MEASURES

Abstract

Norris (1971, 1973) in investigating post-hypnotic amnesia anticipated testing a large S pool over 1 yr. with 35% expected to pass the criterion measure of manifest posthypnotic amnesia. It was decided, therefore, as an ancillary study to administer two of four personality measures and correlate these scores with a measure of hypnotic susceptibiliry. College Ss (N = 206) were screened for manifest post-hypnotic amnesia using a tape-recorded version of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (Shor & Orne, 1962); 55 Ss were administered the Rokeach Dogma Scale, Form E (Rokeach, 1960) and the MMPI Psychasthenia scale, while an additional 151 Ss were administered the E F Scale (Gough, 1951) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale (Crowne & Marlowe, 1964). The results were as follows: ( a ) Rokeach Dogma and Psychasthenia scale scores yielded Pearson rs of .O85 and -.I30 with Harvard Scale scores, respectively, while ( b ) the Gough E-F and Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability scale scores yielded Pearson rs of -.055 and ,078 with Harvard Scale scores, respectively. No rs reached the .05 level of significance. Other Es have apparently been equally unsuccessful in finding personality and physiological correlates of hypnotic susceptibility. One study, however, did report that Ss highly susceptible to hypnosis have high alpha durations (London, Hart, & Leibovitz, 1968). N o comparisons of present data with norms or data from other studies have been made as current Ss would likely differ from those groups.