Attempt to Construct a Scale for the Measurement of the Effect of Suggestion on Perception1

Abstract

A scale based on experimental methods has been prepared for measuring the effects of indirect suggestion upon perception. Three categories are included: (1) distorting the interpretation of presented stimuli, (2) inducing sense-impressions in the absence of adequate stimuli, and (3) producing insensitivity to stimuli that are objectively present. Test situations were designed for tactual, auditory, and visual perception. The scale was tested on a sample of 112 students from the 11th and 12th grades of a large city high school (58 girls and 54 boys). Most of the item intercorrelations were positive and many significantly so. Eliminating the 9 lowest items of 21 left 12 for a reduced matrix, with the first factor accounting for 23% of the total variance. There were no special factors attributable to sensory modality. By summing the scores on the 12 items, a scale was produced with a reliability of .82. Difficulties and limitations are discussed, along with the potential applications of such a scale in the study of socially important behaviors.