Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of suggestion on the processing of visual stimuli. Participants counted rare visual stimuli presented on a screen, once during a hypnosis condition where they were suggested that their vision of the screen is blocked by a virtual wooden board in front of their eyes and once during a control condition without suggestion. In the hypnosis condition, counting performance was about 20% worse than in the control condition. At the same time, the P3b amplitude of the event-related brain potential was about 37% reduced. Smaller P3b amplitudes were significantly associated with deficient counting performance, and this effect was largest in participants who reported the blockade as real. In contrast, earlier brain responses (N1, P2) that reflect basic processing of the visual stimuli were not affected by the suggested blockade. We conclude that the suggestion of the blockade affects later stages of visual perception, leaving early processes intact. This illustrates the impact of suggestions and the power of mind.
Highlights
The present study investigated the effects of suggestion on the processing of visual stimuli
Counting performance was significantly worse in the hypnosis condition compared to the control condition (F(1,57) = 33.6, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.24)
The present study revealed that a suggested perceptual blockade significantly impairs visual perception and the cognitive processes associated with perception
Summary
The present study investigated the effects of suggestion on the processing of visual stimuli. Participants counted rare visual stimuli presented on a screen, once during a hypnosis condition where they were suggested that their vision of the screen is blocked by a virtual wooden board in front of their eyes and once during a control condition without suggestion. Smaller P3b amplitudes were significantly associated with deficient counting performance, and this effect was largest in participants who reported the blockade as real. We conclude that the suggestion of the blockade affects later stages of visual perception, leaving early processes intact This illustrates the impact of suggestions and the power of mind. Pain can be significantly reduced by suggestions of analgesia while participants are hypnotized[5] Another impressive example is the impact of suggestions on color vision. We included 60 participants with different levels of suggestibility: 20 low suggestible, 20 middle suggestible and 20 high suggestible participants
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