Hypnosis affects modules and module conflict
Conflict was produced by the Stroop paradigm: Name the color of the ink for words. Color names, printed in the wrong color, take longer for response than other words.
From: Sciam.com (Scientific American)
In previous work, Amir Raz and his colleagues at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University had illustrated that hypnosis could be used to reduce this conflict in highly hypnotizable individuals. In the new work, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and readings from scalp electrodes to monitor brain activity while subjects completed the ink-naming task.
The researchers gave the subjects a posthypnotic suggestion to interpret the colored words as gibberish, which presumably would allow them to focus more on the color of the ink instead of reading the word. Highly hypnotizable individuals had better accuracy and quicker reaction times compared to those previously identified as being less responsive to hypnosis. The imaging data indicated that the hypnotizable subjects showed reduced brain activity in both visual areas and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in conflict monitoring. Thus, the authors conclude, the results "illuminate how suggestion affects cognitive control by modulating activity in specific brain areas."
……….
The Stroop paradigm can be regarded as an example of conflicting set. The set induced by experimental instructions is opposed by the highly developed set to translate printed words into spoken words. In the above brain activity result, the reduction in the visual area presumably reflects reduced response in an area that helps to interpret printed words. I wish this summary had been more explicit on that point.
This line of research is helpful in demystifying the story of hypnosis. If hypnosis is simply inducing a set, its effects are readily interpretable. With the aid of fMRI, researchers can compare the brain activity under several ways of breaking the reading set. For example, printing the word in badly mixed type fonts would probable weaken the reading set.
This research also illustrates how module conflict is a normal and appropriate process in the context of an unpredictable environment. It makes a brain for all seasons. Some set of modules will fit the task and that set will win the conflict.
Nobody would want to imagine unconscious or subconscious processes to describe this conflict. Both modules operate almost without awareness. But either module can be influenced by cognitive processes. The conflict between modules can be reduced by strengthening the conditions that favor one module over the other. But the conflict is inherent in the way the brain makes the best choice for the moment.
From: Sciam.com (Scientific American)
In previous work, Amir Raz and his colleagues at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University had illustrated that hypnosis could be used to reduce this conflict in highly hypnotizable individuals. In the new work, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and readings from scalp electrodes to monitor brain activity while subjects completed the ink-naming task.
The researchers gave the subjects a posthypnotic suggestion to interpret the colored words as gibberish, which presumably would allow them to focus more on the color of the ink instead of reading the word. Highly hypnotizable individuals had better accuracy and quicker reaction times compared to those previously identified as being less responsive to hypnosis. The imaging data indicated that the hypnotizable subjects showed reduced brain activity in both visual areas and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in conflict monitoring. Thus, the authors conclude, the results "illuminate how suggestion affects cognitive control by modulating activity in specific brain areas."
……….
The Stroop paradigm can be regarded as an example of conflicting set. The set induced by experimental instructions is opposed by the highly developed set to translate printed words into spoken words. In the above brain activity result, the reduction in the visual area presumably reflects reduced response in an area that helps to interpret printed words. I wish this summary had been more explicit on that point.
This line of research is helpful in demystifying the story of hypnosis. If hypnosis is simply inducing a set, its effects are readily interpretable. With the aid of fMRI, researchers can compare the brain activity under several ways of breaking the reading set. For example, printing the word in badly mixed type fonts would probable weaken the reading set.
This research also illustrates how module conflict is a normal and appropriate process in the context of an unpredictable environment. It makes a brain for all seasons. Some set of modules will fit the task and that set will win the conflict.
Nobody would want to imagine unconscious or subconscious processes to describe this conflict. Both modules operate almost without awareness. But either module can be influenced by cognitive processes. The conflict between modules can be reduced by strengthening the conditions that favor one module over the other. But the conflict is inherent in the way the brain makes the best choice for the moment.
posted by Selby Evans at 9:08 AM
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