An Investigation of the Factor Structure of the HARVARD GROUP SCALE OF HYPNOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, Form A (HGSHS:A)

Piesbergen, Christoph and Peter, Burkhard (April 2006): An Investigation of the Factor Structure of the HARVARD GROUP SCALE OF HYPNOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, Form A (HGSHS:A). In: Contemporary Hypnosis, Vol. 23, No. 2: pp. 59-71

Abstract

In order to investigate the effects of the hypnotic state a standardized hypnosis session was conducted with 144 subjects in a controlled laboratory study. The induction of a hypnotic trance in the German version of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS:A by Shor and Orne, 1962) was tape-recorded and used as the treatment. The HGSHS:A seems to be a reliable measure of suggestibility and hypnotizability. This is underlined by the consistent results of a factor analysis on the depths of hypnosis that is in agreement with former studies. Descriptive data analyses with a sufficient number of subjects of high and low suggestibility suggest that our hypnosis induction by tape is an effective method of producing a hypnotic trance. Analyses of within-subjects variables did not reveal any valid predictors of hypnotizability, thereby confirming the need of screening instruments such as the HGSHS.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Keywords: factor structure, hypnosis, suggestibility scales, HGSHS
• Faculties: Psychology and Education Science > Department Psychology > Clinical Psychology
• Subjects: 100 Philosophy and Psychology > 150 Psychology
• ISSN: 0960-5290

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