POSTHYPNOTIC RESPONDING - KNOWING WHEN TO STOP HELPS TO KEEP IT GOING

The authors examined the effect of specifying (cue) or not specifying (no cue) the cancellation cue for posthypnotic suggestion. Responding was indexed on formal, embedded, informal, and postexperimental tests. Thirty-six real, hypnotized participants and 20 simulating participan ts took part in an application of the real-simulating paradigm. Respon ding declined across the four tests. Real participants in the cue cond ition maintained responding longer than simulators in the cue conditio n, and they also maintained responding longer than reals and simulator s in the no cue condition. The findings highlight the interactional in fluence of individual, interpersonal, and situational factors in posth ypnotic responding and underscore the active involvement of individual s in hypnotically initiated events.