Is the hypnotized subject complying?

To examine the role of compliance in responses to hypnotic suggestions, the authors administered a number of suggestions in the standard hypnotic mann er and, also, with urging to comply. Participants' overt behavioral respons es were noted, and they were questioned about their subjective experience o f the suggestions, with electrodermal skin conductance responses providing a measure of the truthfulness of their reports. Results indicated that, alt hough behavioral and verbal responses were consistent with the hypnotic sug gestions under both instructional sets, responses in the standard hypnotic setting appeared to be experienced as genuine. That is, reports of subjecti ve experiences met the criterion for truthfulness, whereas reports of sugge sted experiences administered with urging to comply did not meet the criter ion for truthfulness.