For 37 participants, 16 men and 21 women, scores on the Tellegen Absorption Scale significantly correlated with liking for abstract paintings but not with liking for representational ones. After completing the scale, each participant viewed 20 paintings in quasirandom order, 10 of representational works and 10 of abstract ones. Each was rated on a scale from 1 for strongly disliked to 5 for strongly liked. The Pearson correlation of .48 for abstract paintings was significant, while that of .16 for representational ones was not.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CrowfordH. J. (1982) Hypnotizability, daydreaming styles, imagery vividness, and absorption: A multidimensional study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 42, 915–926.
2.
FarthingC. W.VenturinoM.BrownW. (1983) Relationship between two different types of imagery vividness questionnaire items and three hypnotic susceptibility scale factors. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, 31, 8–13.
3.
LynnS. J.RhueJ. W. (1986) The fantasy-prone person: Hypnosis, imagination, and creativity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 404–408.
4.
MonteiroK. P.MacdonaldH.HilgardE. R. (1980) Imagery, absorption, and hypnosis: A factorial study. Journal of Mental Imagery, 4, 63–81.
5.
ProkopC. K.PrattD. L.RhodesL. A. (1987) Relaxation depth and perceived utility of biofeedback. Paper presented at the meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association, Atlanta, GA.
6.
QuallsP. J.SheehanP. W. (1979) Capacity for absorption and relaxation during electromyograph biofeedback and no-biofeedback conditions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 88, 652–662.
7.
RamonthS. M. (1985) Absorption in directed daydreaming. Journal of Mental Imagery, 9, 67–86.
8.
RhodesL. A.DavidD. C.CombsA. L. (1988) Absorption and enjoyment of music. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 66, 737–738.
9.
SigmanA.PhillipsK. C.CliffordB. (1985) Attentional concomitants of hypnotic susceptibility. British Journal of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis, 2, 69–75.
10.
TellegenA.AtkinsonG. (1974) Openness to absorbing and self-altering experiences (“absorption”), a trait related to hypnotic susceptibility. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 83, 268–277.
