👁️Suggestibility
Why does hypnosis work?
Give me a definition of "Suggestibility"
Suggestibility refers to the degree to which a person's thoughts, feelings, or actions are influenced by cues or suggestions from others. It involves the likelihood of accepting and acting upon the suggestions of others. Suggestibility can vary greatly among individuals and can depend on various factors, including the person's state of mind, trust in the source of the suggestion, and susceptibility to social influence. In psychological contexts, suggestibility is often studied in relation to memory, hypnosis, and social influence, exploring how external suggestions can modify a person's perceptions, memories, and behaviors.
Now give me 10 example scenarios of “Suggestibility”
Hypnosis in Therapy: During a hypnotherapy session, a therapist suggests to a patient that they will no longer find smoking appealing. The patient, highly suggestible in this state, finds their desire to smoke significantly reduced after the session.
Advertising and Purchasing Decisions: A person watches a commercial suggesting that a particular brand of sneakers will make them run faster and feel better. Influenced by this suggestion, they decide to buy the sneakers, believing in the promised benefits.
Eyewitness Testimony: An eyewitness to a crime is asked leading questions by a police officer, such as "The car that sped away was red, right?" This suggestion may alter the eyewitness's memory, leading them to recall a red car even if the vehicle was of a different color.
Placebo Effect in Medical Trials: Participants in a clinical trial are told they might be receiving a new, highly effective pain relief drug. Some participants receive a placebo, but due to the suggestion, they report significant pain relief, demonstrating the power of suggestion on physical sensations.
Peer Pressure and Behavioral Choices: A teenager starts smoking because their friends suggest that it's a cool thing to do. The desire to fit in makes the teenager susceptible to this suggestion, influencing their behavior.
False Confessions During Interrogations: A suspect is repeatedly told by interrogators they have evidence of the suspect's guilt (even when they do not). The suspect becomes convinced of their own guilt and confesses to a crime they did not commit.
Learning in Educational Settings: A teacher tells a student that they are excellent at math, boosting the student's confidence. Influenced by this positive suggestion, the student performs better in math classes, motivated by the belief in their capabilities.
Psychic Readings and Cold Reading: A psychic suggests to a client that they sense a presence of a protective figure in the client's life. The client, wanting to believe, begins to attribute past coincidences to this protective figure's influence.
Diet and Food Choices: A friend suggests that cutting out gluten has made them feel more energetic and healthier. Influenced by this suggestion, another person decides to adopt a gluten-free diet, expecting similar health benefits.
Groupthink in Decision-Making: In a company meeting, the CEO suggests that a certain strategy is the best course of action. The employees, influenced by the CEO's authority and suggestion, agree with the decision without fully exploring other options, demonstrating suggestibility in a group context.
Now create a user story for "Hypnosis in Therapy" scenario
User Story: Hypnosis in Therapy for Smoking Cessation
Title: Implementing Hypnotherapy to Overcome Smoking Addiction
As a smoker who has struggled to quit through traditional methods,
I want to explore hypnotherapy as a solution to my smoking addiction,
So that I can lead a healthier life without the need for cigarettes.
Acceptance Criteria:
Initial Consultation:
Given I have decided to try hypnotherapy,
When I attend my initial consultation,
Then I expect to discuss my smoking habits and history with the therapist to tailor the hypnotherapy session to my needs.
Personalized Hypnotherapy Session:
Given my specific triggers and smoking patterns have been discussed,
When I undergo a hypnotherapy session,
Then the therapist should use suggestions tailored to reduce my craving for nicotine and increase my motivation to quit smoking.
Post-Session Support:
Given I have completed a hypnotherapy session,
When I experience cravings or doubts about my ability to quit,
Then I should have access to follow-up support, whether through additional sessions or resources provided by the therapist.
Measuring Effectiveness:
Given I have undergone hypnotherapy for smoking cessation,
When a few weeks have passed since my last session,
Then I expect to see a reduction in my smoking habits, as evidenced by fewer cigarettes smoked per day or complete cessation.
Adapting the Approach:
Given I am still struggling with smoking after the initial session,
When I communicate this to my therapist,
Then they should be willing to adjust the therapy approach or explore additional sessions to reinforce the suggestions.
This user story outlines the journey of a smoker seeking to quit through hypnotherapy, emphasizing personalized care, measurable outcomes, and adaptable strategies for success.
Now, if you should make an ontology of the "Suggestibility", what classes and properties would you create?
Classes
Person: Represents individuals or subjects experiencing suggestibility.
Properties: Name, Age, Gender, Occupation, PsychologicalProfile
Suggestion: The information or cues presented to influence a person's thoughts, feelings, or actions.
Properties: Content, Source, ModeOfDelivery (e.g., verbal, visual, written)
Context: The setting or situation in which suggestibility occurs.
Properties: Environment (e.g., clinical, educational, social), Time, SocialDynamics
Influencer: Individuals or entities that generate suggestions.
Properties: Name, RelationshipToSubject, InfluenceMethod (e.g., authority, peer)
Outcome: The result of being influenced by a suggestion.
Properties: Type (e.g., behavioral change, attitude change), DegreeOfChange, DurationOfEffect
SuggestibilityLevel: A measure of how susceptible a person is to suggestions.
Properties: Score, FactorsInfluencing (e.g., psychological states, trust in source)
Intervention: Actions or strategies intended to modify suggestibility.
Properties: Type (e.g., hypnotherapy, educational program), Effectiveness, Duration
PsychologicalState: The mental condition affecting or influencing suggestibility.
Properties: Type (e.g., stress, relaxation), Cause, Duration
Properties (Relationships)
receivesSuggestion (Person -> Suggestion): Indicates that a person has been exposed to a suggestion.
influences (Suggestion -> Outcome): Connects a suggestion to its outcome.
generates (Influencer -> Suggestion): Shows who or what generates a suggestion.
subjectOf (Suggestion -> Context): Indicates the context in which a suggestion occurs.
hasSuggestibilityLevel (Person -> SuggestibilityLevel): Links a person to their level of suggestibility.
affects (PsychologicalState -> SuggestibilityLevel): Shows how psychological states affect suggestibility levels.
undergoes (Person -> Intervention): Indicates that a person has undergone a specific intervention.
modifies (Intervention -> Outcome): Connects an intervention to its effect on an outcome.
Competency Questions
What activities are influenced by suggestibility?
Example: "In which activities is Smoker influenced by suggestibility?"
What are the possible suggestions in a given therapy session?
Example: "What suggestions can be made during a smoking cessation therapy session?"
What is the relationship between suggestions and their outcomes in the context of suggestibility?
Example: "What are the outcomes of receiving suggestions during therapy sessions for smoking cessation?"
What types of decisions are categorized under suggestibility influenced by cognitive bias?
Example: "What decisions in advertising are categorized as influenced by suggestibility and cognitive bias?"
What are the consequences of a biased agent receiving a suggestion during a specific event?
Example: "What are the consequences of a patient receiving a suggestion during a hypnotherapy session?"
Classes and Properties Created
Our classes:
CognitiveBias: Represents the overarching concept of cognitive biases.
BiasedAgent: Represents an entity that experiences the bias.
Suggestibility: Suggestibility refers to the degree to which a person's thoughts, feelings, or actions are influenced by cues or suggestions from others.
Suggestion: The action of calling up an idea in someone's mind by associating it with other things
SuggestionSource: Describes the source of suggestion that affects biased agent, can be an individual,organization or media.
Our properties:
isAffectedBy: Describes the relationship between a cognitive bias and an individual on the base of influence.
affects: Inverse of isAffectedBy.
receivesSuggestion: Describes the relation between a suggestion and individual receiving the suggestion
Chosen Framester Frames
o People
This frame contains general words for Individuals, i.e. humans. The Person is conceived of as independent of other specific individuals with whom they have relationships and independent of their participation in any particular activity. They may have an Age, Descriptor, Origin, Persistent_characteristic, or Ethnicity. A man from Phoenix was shot yesterday. She gave birth to a screaming baby yesterday. I study 16-year-old female adolescents. I am dating an African-American man. She comforted the terrified child. I always thought of him as a stupid man.
o Event
An Event takes place at a Place and Time. Big earthquakes only happen along plate boundaries. INI The party will take place on Sunday in the all-you-can-eat buffet.
An Agent, Situation or Entity has an influence on a Cognizer. The influence may be general; or it may be manifested in the Cognizer's engaging in an Action as a consequence of the influence; or the Cognizer may be influenced in how they carry out a Behavior that they are engaged in already. Alternatively, a Product may be specified whose production or design was influenced by the Cognizer's experience of the Situation or Entity. The mediation of the Cognizer's psyche distinguishes this frame from the Objective_influence frame, where dependent events occur automatically given the appropriate kind of influencing force. In this frame, by contrast, a Cognizer may perceive an influence yet not respond to it in any way. These works had a profound effect and influenced her in the creation of a successful series capturing this sun-drenched region. I'm sure if I asked Mattel what inspired this car I would be told it's an original design, and not supposed to represent any actual car.
Chosen Content ODPs
To represent the epistemological "missing link" between a cognitive activity, e.g. the interaction with a cultural object, and any evidence of the effects this activity has on the individuals that are engaged with it; what can collectively be considered as an experience.
To represent parameters to be used for a certain concept.
o Reaction
To model dynamic situations, tracking agents and actions they produce, events that are results of some action(s), and consequences as new actions, i.e. reactions.
Other ontologies used
The subject is a subclass of a class.
The state of a person's emotions (especially with regard to pleasure or dejection).
Last updated
