Central Washington University ScholarWorks@CWU All Master's Theses Master's Theses 1967 Suggestibility and its Relationship to Instructional Set in Serial Learning Richard Walter Giroux Central Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.edu/etd Part of the Applied Behavior Analysis Commons Recommended Citation Giroux, Richard Walter, "Suggestibility and its Relationship to Instructional Set in Serial Learning" (1967). All Master's Theses.edu/etd/715 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses at ScholarWorks@CWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@CWU. For more information, please contact scholarworks@cwu.
SUGGESTIBILITY AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO INSTRUCTIONAL SET IN SERIAL LEARNING A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faculty Central Washington State College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science by Richard Walter Giroux August 1967 APPROVED FOR THE GRADUATE FACULTY ________________________________ Maurice L. Pettit, COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN _________________________________ Eldon E. Jacobsen, COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRMAN _________________________________ Roger Stewart _________________________________ Colin Condit ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As with any attempt to include everyone who has made this study possible, time and space do not allow for complete- ness. It is, therefore, with apologies to those many left out that I wish to thank these few people who played a major role in this thesis.
To my committee, Dr. Eldon Jacobsen, Dr. Maury Pettit, Dr. Colin Condit, and Dr.
Roger Stewart, who have given graciously of themselves, go my grateful thanks. Lillian Lauer, the original committee chairman, my appreciation and respect for her interest and directional guidance in the initial stages of this study. Thanks to Gerald Shulenbarger, Dianne Schomber, Dr. James Whitman, and Brant Holmberg for their contributions to the finished product.
Finally, to my wife, Lucille, and children Riz, Rick and Jan, for being patient and understanding enough to allow me to prove something to myself, go my deepest affec- tion and gratitude. I only hope that this effort is worthy of them. CENTRAL WASHINGTON STATE COLLEGE Graduate Division Final Examination of Richard w., Pacific Lutheran University 1966 for the degree of Master of Science Committee in Charge Dr. Roger Stewart Black Building Room 214 Friday, August 4, 1967 10:00 a.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION BORN: March 29, 1926, Jamestown, North Dakota UNDERGRADUATE STUDY: Pacific Lutheran University, B., July 1966, Psychology Major PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Charge attendant and assistant supervisor in acute psychiatric treatment at Western State Hospital during period of undergraduate education; training in psychopharmaceutical drugs; group leader in group therapy. Sales manager for franchised dealer in Firestone products with purchasing and sales force responsibility. Territory manager for Firestone Tire & Rubber Company ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE: Teaching Assistantship, Pacific Lutheran University, 1965-66 Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Central Washington State College, Spring-Summer, 1967. TITLE OF THESIS: Suggestibility and its Relationship to Instructional Set in Serial Learning Please Note: Personal data has been redacted due to privacy concerns.
Courses Included in Graduate Study Required Courses Psychology 568 Experimental Design I Psychology 569 Experimental Design II Psychology 562 Theories of Learning Psychology 590.1 Current Issues Philosophy 480 Philosophy of Science Elective Courses Psychology 469 Advanced Psychological Statistics Psychology 590.2 Current Issues Psychology 590.3 Current Issues Psychology 453 Theories of Personality Psychology 487 Group Processes and Leadership Psychology 488 Group Dynamics Individual Psychology 560 Theories and Practices of Counseling Psychology 600 Thesis TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Problem. Manual: Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility • • • • • • • • 27 Appendix B. Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form C • • • • • • • • 50 Appendix c. Instructions: Difficult Set • • • 59 Appendix D.
Instructions: Easy Set • • • • •. 63 LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Analysis of Variance: High Suggestibility Group • • • • • • • • • • • • • 18 2. Analysis of Variance: Low Suggestibility Group • • • • • • •.
t Table Between and Within Groups 19 Problem In a general overview of serial learning, much consi- deration is given to the aspects of instructional set and its effect on the rate of serial learning. There have been many studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of instructional set with divergent results. The purpose of this study was to attempt to deter- mine the influence of two variables, suggestibility and instructional set, upon the individual's performance in a serial learning task. The attempt was made to find whether it is the ins~ructional set that affects the outcome of a serial learning task or whether it is suggestibility that is the primary variable.
The approach to this problem was based upon past studies in three different areas of psycho- logical research. These were the areas of set, serial learning, and suggestibility. Suggestibility Because studies of suggestibility were primarily associated with the phenomenon of hypnosis, they have not been performed where they were directly associated with set and/or serial learning. The scaling of suggestibility has been of concern to psychologists since the acceptance of hypnosis as an area of legitimate research.
2 Historically, the subject of the scaling of sugges- tibility began to be considered as early as 1843 by Baird when he attempted to describe true hypnotic states and their depth. Othemfollowed, however scaling did not begin with respect to suggestibility, but rather in reference to the depth of hypnotic states. Other early researchers in this area have been cited by Hilgard (1965). Among these were Charcot (1882), Riche (1885), and Pitres (1891).
These writers failed to agree on any kind of a continuum, but rather seemed to have the collective understanding that this condition was an unhomogeneous mixture of various states of sleep. In order for this trait to be available for serious study, there was a necessity to differentiate between suggestibility and hypnosis. Suggestibility, therefore, became defined as the effect of verbal and non-verbal influence. After the determination of the term it became neces- sary to quantify and scale the degrees of suggestibility.
In the latter part of the 19th century, a large number of studies were conducted and, surprisingly, excellent records of these studies still exist. In fact, there were fourteen studies initiated with nearly 20,000 subjects (Hilgard, 1965). These studies pointed out the need for a more exact expression of difference and a more exact means of prediction. 3 Due to the need for quantification, Clark Hull (1933) began to develop a means of accurately quantifying suggesti- bility.
His major concern was to find a universal means of measurement that would most closely fit a Gausian curve. He was able to determine that postural sway and eye closure were the criteria that produced the most nearly normal curves. He was preceded in his efforts by Davis and Husband (1931), and followed by Friedlander and Sarbin (1938). Test items have shown a remarkable "survival quotientn over the years intervening since the 1930's.
Many of these items are still in use. The following is a rather complete list of various tests used in determining suggestibility. Arm or hand raising 11. Eye closure 13· Heat illusion 5.
Press and release 6. Hand rigidity 15· Trapline 7. Chevreul pendulum 17· Line test with suggestion 9. Odor suggestion 19· Contradictory line length 20.
Color suggestion 4 Suggestibility seems not only to be a common trait, but the tests that have been devised to measure its strength have many items in common. This may well be the reason that the correlations between tests of suggestibility are of a much higher nature than would usually be obtained. The usual correlation in the between tests scaling was found to be in the. Test-retest reliability is found to be higher, which is to be expected.
After determining the existence of the trait of sug- gestibility, that seems existent throughout the population in measurable degrees, it becomes necessary to classify the type of situation used to produce the measurable reaction. Obviously there are many ways to classify suggestibility. Among those proposed are: 1. Verbal - the command situation 2.
Non-verbal - imitative behavior 3. Direct - statement of expected responses 4. Indirect - implications of expected responses 5. Prestige - acceptance of the experimenter by the subject 6.
Non-prestige - anything that is not of the above 7. Personal - delivered in person 8. Impersonal - delivered by mechanical means 9. Immediate - carried out as suggested 10.
Mediate - carried out in symbols or by substitute 5 In using these means to classify suggestibility, it was necessary to establish a continuum between verbally induced physical reaction and verbally induced mental response. Implied also is the existence of a continuum which moves across the state that exists between wakeful suggestibility and the entry into a hypnotic state. The best answer to this problem seems to be the way a subject moves from one state (wakefulness) to another (trance) without a trance-inducing suggestion. Given that the trait of suggestibility exists and that it is measurable, then the question may be asked, "What are some of the variables that seem to influence suggesti- bility?" One of the first studies of a variable that might affect suggestibility was done by Beaunis (1887).
This study has become a classic concerning the effect of a sub- ject 1 s age on suggestibility. Beaunis found that over the span of a subject's life, the produced curve would be posi- tively skewed with the apex of the curve occurring between the ages of 7 and 14. After this the reduction in suggesti- bility seems to drop markedly and then to remain relatively consistent throughout the life span (Hilgard, 1967). Recent studies of suggestibility in children began with the work of IDndon (1962) and Moore and Lauer (1963), 6 who found differences in the responsiveness of children and adults.
In a later and more extensive study by London (1965) using 240 children, definite changes were found with age, with maximum suggestibility occurring between the ages of 9 and 14. A related study by Barber and Calverley (1963) studied 724 children, and found maximum suggestibility about ages 9 to 10, but with a more rapid although not more pro- nounced decrement in suggestibility. Weitzenhoffer and Weitzenhoffer (1958) compared 100 males and 100 females, half of each sex tested by a male and half by a female, and no sex difference was demonstrated. The Hilgard, Weitzenhoffer and Gough studies (1958) also fail to reveal any sex differences.
Intelligence as measured by WAIS has not been found to be a determining factor in the measurement of suggesti- bility. However, this may be due to the use of college students as subjects in the majority of recent studies. Various personality traits, as measured by personality inventories, projective, and behavioral tests, have not shown significant relationships with suggestibility. In a study by Moore (1964), measures of suggestibility to social influence were obtained from 80 male S's through a persuas- ability test (Janis), an influencibility test (Schacter), and an autokinetic test (Sherif).
Factor analysis of the scores showed that the hypnotic scales selected to represent 7 primary suggestibility are orthogonal to a bipolar factor represented largely by scores on the self report inventories. Only the influencibility test showed a slight positive rela- tionship to hypnosis. Further, birth order relationships failed to confirm predictions that would be made using influencibility. The only direct high correlation established was the correlation between suggestibility tests and the actual ability of the subject to be hypnotized.
More sub- stantiation of these results is to be found in a study by Evans (1963) where he found no significant relationship between the Maudsley Personality Inventory and suggestibility. Abnormal personalities and the mentally ill have also been studied to determine if a relationship exists, but no direct relationship was found between either abnormal per- sonalities or the mentally ill and their degree of suggesti- bility. Drug addiction seems to influence the subject's suggestibility, but only while directly under the influence of the drug as cited by Hilgard (1965).
