In Experiment 1 and Experiment 2, respectively, eighty-five subjects and sixty subjects viewed nine facial caricatures for 1/150 sec per face, nine for 1/100 sec per face, and nine for 1/10 sec per face. Recognition memory for three of the 1/150, three of the 1/100, and three of the 1/10 sec faces was tested before hypnosis; memory for nine more faces was tested during hypnosis; memory for the last nine faces was tested after hypnosis. Before hypnosis, the recognition probabilities for 1/150 sec faces and 1/100 sec faces were at chance levels, and the recognition probability for 1/10 sec faces was better than chance. During hypnosis, recognition memory for 1/150 sec faces was again at the chance level. However, hypnotic recognition of 1/100 sec faces was better than chance, and hypnotic recognition of 1/10 sec faces was no better than chance. Consistent both with cognitive-state monitoring theory and with state-dependent theories of memory, these results indicate that memory for subliminally perceived targets (1/100 sec faces) is facilitated by the hypnotic state.
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