Post-hypnotic suggestion improves confidence and speed of memory access with long-lasting effects

In our study, we use the post-hypnotic suggestion of easy remembering to improve memory with long-lasting effects. We tested 24 highly suggestible participants in an online study. Participants learned word lists and recalled them later in a recognition memory task. At the beginning of the study, par...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Barbara Schmidt, Justin Böhmer, Martin Schnuerch, Tobias Koch, Sebastian Michelmann
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-05-01
Series:Acta Psychologica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824001173
Description
Summary:In our study, we use the post-hypnotic suggestion of easy remembering to improve memory with long-lasting effects. We tested 24 highly suggestible participants in an online study. Participants learned word lists and recalled them later in a recognition memory task. At the beginning of the study, participants were hypnotized and the post-hypnotic suggestion to remember easily was associated with a cue that participants used during the recognition memory task. In a control condition, the same participants used a neutral cue. One week later, participants repeated both conditions with new word lists.Participants were significantly faster and more confident in their recognition ratings in the easy-remembering condition compared to the control condition, and this effect persisted over one week. Crucially, the increased speed and confidence in the easy-remembering condition did not affect memory accuracy. That makes our hypnosis intervention promising for patients experiencing subjective memory impairments. APA PsycINFO codes: 2343 (Learning and Memory), 2380 (Consciousness States), 3351 (Clinical Hypnosis)
ISSN:0001-6918