A spectral analysis of cognitive and personality variables in hypnosis: Empirical disconfirmation of the two-factor model of hypnotic responding.

The two-factor model of hypnotic responding posits that ability or trait variables are more important than contextual variables in producing responses to difficult hypnotic suggestions, whereas contextual variables such as attitudes and expectancies are more important than trait variables in predicting responses to easier suggestions. In three separate data sets, responses to suggestions of varying difficulty were correlated with absorption, fantasy proneness, dissociation, attitudes toward hypnosis, and hypnotic response expectancy. Although the results of these analyses were not consistent across data sets, all significant findings were in the opposite direction of that predicted by two-factor theorists. In general, expectancy was the strongest correlate of hypnotic response, especially for highly responsive participants and for difficult suggestions. It is concluded that despite the attractiveness of the two-factor model, repeated attempts to replicate its empirical base have been unsuccessful.