Hypnotic susceptibility, not suggestion, influences false memory development.
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2013-09-24Author
Dasse, Michelle N.
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Hypnotic susceptibility is a measurable trait that influences the development of
false memories. In Experiment 1, participants heard a positive or negative suggestion
regarding hypnosis, then listened to eight DRM lists in hypnotic state. Neither hypnosis
nor suggestion affected memory. High susceptibility participants were significantly more
accurate in recall and recognition. In Experiment 2, suggestions were delivered in the
form of feedback. Participants heard a positive or negative suggestion about their
performance prior to either encoding or retrieval of eight DRM lists. Accurate and false
memory was not affected by the suggestion conditions. Those with high hypnotic
susceptibility recalled and recognized fewer critical lures if they received a negative
suggestion about their performance. These results highlight the importance of individual
differences to susceptibility of suggestion in the creation of false memories.