Boosting Human Learning by Hypnosis

Abstract

Human learning and memory depend on multiple cognitive systems related to dissociable brain structures. These systems interact not only in cooperative but also sometimes competitive ways in optimizing performance. Previous studies showed that manipulations reducing the engagement of frontal lobe-mediated explicit attentional processes could lead to improved performance in striatum-related procedural learning. In our study, hypnosis was used as a tool to reduce the competition between these 2 systems. We compared learning in hypnosis and in the alert state and found that hypnosis boosted striatum-dependent sequence learning. Since frontal lobe-dependent processes are primarily affected by hypnosis, this finding could be attributed to the disruption of the explicit attentional processes. Our result sheds light not only on the competitive nature of brain systems in cognitive processes but also could have important implications for training and rehabilitation programs, especially for developing new methods to improve human learning and memory performance.

Intact implicit statistical learning in borderline personality disorder

“…It is still debated if relationship exists between short-term memory (STM), executive functions and implicit sequence/statistical learning Nemeth, 2013, 2015;Martini et al, 2014), and if does then what its direction is. Several studies claim a competitive relationship between frontal lobe-related control/executive functions and implicit learning (Filoteo et al, 2010;Nemeth et al, 2013;Poldrack et al, 2001;Poldrack and Packard, 2003), and consequently, negative correlation was found between executive functions and implicit statistical learning Virag et al, 2015). Future studies should directly focus on these potential associations in BPD with a larger sample size.…”

The role of frontal executive functions in hypnosis and hypnotic suggestibility.

“…A recent study provides further compelling evidence of frontal inhibition under hypnosis (Nemeth, Janacsek, Polner, & Kovacs, 2013). Nemeth et al showed that implicit, procedural learning is improved under hypnosis.…”

Unaware yet reliant on attention: Experience sampling reveals that mind-wandering impedes implicit learning

“…Although some studies have suggested that implicit sequence learning can proceed with little or no use of attentional resources (Cleeremans & Jiménez, 1998;Frensch, Lin, & Buchner, 1998), other studies have shown impaired implicit learning when attention is diverted away from the primary implicit-learning task (Shanks & Channon, 2002;Shanks, Rowland, & Ranger, 2005). Still other results support the view that inattention may actually improve implicit learning (Filoteo, Lauritzen, & Maddox, 2010;Nemeth, Janacsek, Polner, & Kovacs, 2013; though see Newell, Moore, Willis, & Milton, 2013, for a reevaluation of Filoteo et al, 2010).…”