The ‘hidden observer’ and ideomotor responding: a real‐simulator comparison

Abstract

Subjective reports of the amount of effort required to complete an ideomotor (i.e. arm suspension) task were contrasted across baseline, hypnosis, hidden observer and postsession trials among N = 124 participants who had previously scored in the high or low range on a standardized measure of hypnotizability. Low hypnotizable participants received simulation instructions prior to the experiment. Three different instructions were administered during the hidden observer trial. Participants were told that their hidden observer would be: more aware of the effort required to complete the task; or less aware; or they received no specific instruction concerning how their hidden observer report should differ from their previously generated hypnosis report. Results showed that the wording of the instructions influenced hidden observer ratings for both real and simulating participants.

An introduction to the practice of clinical hypnosis.

“…Accordingly, participants experience diminished behavioral control and respond automatically to suggested events. Hilgard's interpretation of the hidden observer stirred substantial controversy, as studies revealed that the nature of the hidden observer (e.g., reporting more vs. less pain) depended on the suggestions or cues inherent in the communications that elicited the seeming personality dissociation (see Green, Page, et al, 2005;Kirsch & Lynn, 1998). Regardless of the explanation for the hidden observer, the phenomenon highlights the ability of suggestion to facilitate a different and potentially more therapeutic perspective on one's experiences and actions (see Lynn et al, 1994).…”