Background: Milton Erickson was the rst to introduce hypnosis as a form of therapy during the post-war period. Numerous studies have evaluated the e ects of hypnosis on memory, focusing principally on post- hypnotic amnesia, post-hypnotic hypermnesia, faux memories and learning growth. The aim of the present study was to determine if hypnosis can in uence visual-spatial memory by increasing its performance and learning; to do this, we chose to utilise the Corsi Test (backward and forward). Methods: Three hundred second-year students enrolled in the psychology faculty at the University of Catania were informed of the research and its modalities, and an e-mail was sent to inquire if they wanted to participate in the experiment. Seventy female students took part in the research; 10 were excluded because they presented a high risk of being in uenced under hypnosis. The 60 subjects in the research sample were randomly divided into two groups: the Experimental Group and Control Group. The protocol prescribed administration of the Corsi Test at Time 0 (start) followed by a resting phase of 30 min. The hypnotic state was subsequently introduced, and the Corsi Test was administered again. Results: The results of the Corsi Test for the Experimental Group showed statistically signi cant results (0.0004 and and 0.0001), while the results obtained in the Control Group did not show any signi cance. Conclusions: These results led us to believe that hypnosis has the capacity to induce a nervous plasticity that supports learning of visual-spatial memory.

Hypnosis and learning: Pilot study on a group of students.

Ramaci T.;Di Gregorio G.;
2019-01-01

Abstract

Background: Milton Erickson was the rst to introduce hypnosis as a form of therapy during the post-war period. Numerous studies have evaluated the e ects of hypnosis on memory, focusing principally on post- hypnotic amnesia, post-hypnotic hypermnesia, faux memories and learning growth. The aim of the present study was to determine if hypnosis can in uence visual-spatial memory by increasing its performance and learning; to do this, we chose to utilise the Corsi Test (backward and forward). Methods: Three hundred second-year students enrolled in the psychology faculty at the University of Catania were informed of the research and its modalities, and an e-mail was sent to inquire if they wanted to participate in the experiment. Seventy female students took part in the research; 10 were excluded because they presented a high risk of being in uenced under hypnosis. The 60 subjects in the research sample were randomly divided into two groups: the Experimental Group and Control Group. The protocol prescribed administration of the Corsi Test at Time 0 (start) followed by a resting phase of 30 min. The hypnotic state was subsequently introduced, and the Corsi Test was administered again. Results: The results of the Corsi Test for the Experimental Group showed statistically signi cant results (0.0004 and and 0.0001), while the results obtained in the Control Group did not show any signi cance. Conclusions: These results led us to believe that hypnosis has the capacity to induce a nervous plasticity that supports learning of visual-spatial memory.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11387/137363
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