Comparison of Overt and Subjective Responses to the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale under Conditions of Group Administration

Abstract

109 subjects were group tested in counterbalanced order on the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale (CURSS) and Form C of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale (SHSS:C). Both scales yielded three susceptibility scores for each subject. O (objective) scores reflected overt responding to suggestions, S (subjective) scores reflected subjective responding, and OI (objective-involuntariness) scores reflected the extent to which overt responses were experienced as occurring involuntarily. O scores were significantly higher than OI scores on both scales, and on the SHSS:C OI scores were much more strongly skewed toward the low end of the scale than were O scores. Corresponding dimensions on the two scales correlated highly with one another. Contrary to the assumption of some investigators, our findings indicate that substantial discrepancies between overt and subjective aspects of responding occur on both scales. On neither scale did overt response to suggestion accurately reflect subjects' experience of responding involuntarily.