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Fossible Fallibility.of;Folyiraph Tosting of Subjecta in Posthypnotic Statos. A/82617

Source 1seeeg aer.ofa prordnont poychiatric clinic and repoarch Soundation.. rh. nos theds of psychognoais and paychotharapy-havy been doveloped

1. Q. Cn tha basis of your knowlodgo of hypnolog, do you think that it vould to possible to induco a posthupmotie state on a subject in such a way. that: his roactions to polytraph testing,would ba.signficantly altoredi

,. A. N offhand, opinion is that. this vould bo quito possilio.. Of courss it would. be vory eirplo ta conduct exporiranfo uhich could dofinitoly Cecida this quostion ono way or. another, bub. on the asmisption that. buch oxporinents have not yet beon, carriedout,. I should llke, to comant brianly,aun thopossibilitiea to: bo concidered.

As I unierstand it, tho polirrarh measures unconscious phgsical reactions to, the stirali of zbe rontal disturbances causod by the telline of doliterato lica. Thorefore,it vould appoar possiblo that, a aubjoct could possibly avoid theso ro actione if ho ucro intorrogatod whfo in a poathpmotie stato and thus cstablish his innocance for soso incriainating acta-orassociatlons. This ight be dono by tha inductlon of posthypootic amosia for Uo incririnating episodes and tha mubstitutioa ofan alibi situation-by tho establishment of falce recollcctiona. In ordar vords, tho subject would te comvinccd that be vao actually tolling tho truth and would pothevo tho peychosoratic disturbtncos necessary for epolygrapli ro-? action. In addition to this, corploto aonia of tho hpnotiów itsolr can bo effocted and an affective cofense con bo pret up against rohpnctization by anothior bypootiat. Farthorvoro,:the cubjeet's reactians to othar quostionc ucedin,testing tha polyuraphabilityofaoabjoct vouldrobably.benorml:

2.., (Collectorts.lotei: In adliticn to the cosrxnts reportod atove, sorco sugrootod and eupplied reforonceaatorial whichhe feltraight provido como background inforration on this subject. A brief reviev of sonn of thio literature vas undortakon by thie.collcctor and tho coonts listod beloa. wers abstiacted. Althouch thcy often support sourcota opinions,thoy are by no zeans diiroctly attributatla to him, nor can the conolusions reachod bo construed,as bearing his cndorsomont.Abriof:revicw of recent volunns of Psycholoical. Abotrata (Abstracta)(lator thaa l950) rovoaled no" articles describing esperimnts imvolving posthypnotic bcharior in relation:to thn polygrah mchina.Therefore tho following conents incluce othar roforences wiich the colloctor.concidors as posaibly applicablo to thoproblea.): !. (:)

a. The Hature of the Posthomctio zer State  In tho first placo, there still soems to be a great doal cf coafusion ebout the actual nature of tho posthypnotic stato itoelf and about tho scopo of influonco of the operater in tho cubjoct's Teactions whon asaka,. . Thaso questions:wore' cited by leary Cuse of Long Island Univorsity, who points out that thoy. havo placyed imvestigators for rany years and have recoived no clarity in interprotation. le goes on to cay that porhapa ovan more corplex is the question as to hou a subject responda to the fact that he is behovins in a way vhichi is differont fran his usual tebavior. (1)  He aplains that the "posthypnotic

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act uill ofton have in it en aspoet of remerbranco as to tho surgestion given in the tranco" but ho adis, "of courso, somo phenoronn of a pocthypnotic nature, such ns hallucinatory eqerioncc,.nay bo ccccpteu by the subject as boing of unqucstionablo authonticity."

b. lypmosis encAntisocial Conduct  Leopito an active conlrovoroy on tho subject, there is ruch evidenco that bynotias can induce antisocial Lehaviori (2) In this comoetien it ahould bo brooght out that cuch ecta car bo accorplishçd in the postbypmotic atato with no appuraut kncaledge or fecling on the port ofsiho subject. Several emporimonts hazo chcm that cuch "subjects handled paculierities in thcir posthnotic activitiep by occepting them as congrous cspecta of thoir behavior. (3)SuchPaccoptanoo"of thoantisocial act of Lingmicht well precluda ury plysical roactions hich would be éasurable by tho polytraph.

In experinonta vith the hypzotic and post-hopnotic protuction of antisocial bchavior, atterçto aro ofton rado by exporinomtors to broak the intnced atate of posthypnotic arncsin coveral dayo after the oxperinoutal antisecial act or ncts have boen cornitted by the subject. Tho accusoticns trought cut in these interrogations usually arouco apparently rightoous indigation or disbolief on the part of the "guilty" subjoct. In ano guch exporimnnt a young fesale sabject had deon induced undor bypuosis to steal rooey from the pockat or a otrancer's coat after avakoning from her trance. (h) Sho waa givan posthypnotio anosia for tho sonrco of tho corpulsion. Sho stolo the. dollar and later spent it. Mhen confrcntod with tle facts coveral Cays lotor ahe did not belimvo then. On the basisof hor roactions tho orperirentor roported : as follovst "Mcse coments are included to indicato the difficultics a crossexariner vould mot in attorpting to ining a confession Mron a cririnal hypnotic subjoct. liss A's ianner Letrayed not tho subtlost ovidencs or cansciousncss of guilt. I cannot saf, of course, what rdight have bemn hor roaction to a lic-detoctor or thiord-uegree zethods."

Subooquently thio subject was again hypnotized and her ammosia for tho Sncident roroved. "liss A vas then asked ulother ahe thought she could in honoais be inducod to comit noro sericus crins--such aa to stoal inportaat goverunint papera were sho 6 Gecratary in Wasiingtoa., She oaid, 'Ies, I think ao.' Sha hold to this belier both in the tranco and norral atatos.

e. Training and Testing In caso posthypnotie corpulsion vore utilisod in an attoapt to cirourvent lic dotoction, the necesoarily coopleto control ovar the.postlipnotic behavior of a subject would require s poriod ef intensive treining and tosting. Subjects very widoly in thn hpiotizability. In other vords, ono porsoa tight ahou little inltial resiotance to trance inuction but the cperator right riud that be would shou a Ercat doal roro resistanco to illusion crcation er to ono or more of tho otendard eritoria for necmuring tho dopth of hyrnosia. (Such criteria ircludo (1) hypnctic analgesla to painful cLimnli, (2) nixed olsnctory hallucinations, (3) ae ropression contrel, (l) posthymotic amosis, (5) ability to cary out posthypnotic tocrections and tho rnnid indaction ef trauca through en unrolated posthutuotic sipal. (5) As Brai pointed out, "To achlovs tho tost rouults, one mist utllize the Lndividuel ciaractoristics of each subjoct. (6) Trcugh patient emperliontation with deviodougsestions ucod to cLrcasrant the pointo of resistance,vory deep

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hypnosis can usually be obtnlued in a willing subject. lt slculó then be possiblo to predict tho effecto which tho subject's ca peculinr personality and bypuotisatility charncteristics uill play in the posthypnetic stato. Tho ultinato Ecal of the training vould be tho crcation of a state of hypnotisability whoroby the oporater could rapidly induco a poathypnotic stata in vhich thio subject would have no r conscious kosledge or ionory of hia inerisinating activitics or ccnnectiono.

In adlition to the alove goal, it would bo alno poosible to incuco ii tho cubject a facility for mutohyrnosis. Lealie S. loCron of Los Ançeles stetod that it is difficult to hpnotiso oniselr at all deoply mloss a post hiypnoaie sucgostion hes been given during hetçro-inciced hypnosia to the efioct that the perscn can thoroaftor lopnotiza hinocm."(7)

d. Detection of Posthypnotio Stato by Folygraph  As far es polyaeph detoctian of tho post hypnotic stato itself is concerned, this scons unllkely in thc licht of the negative and inconclusive resulta of experirents conducted by True and Stepbenson which corrolatod cloctroencophalograri, pulso, aod plantor reflexes in hrypnosis with ase regresaion and inluced erotional statos. (8)

(1). Ouse, licury. "Fosthypnotic Echavior and Feroonality," Fersonality, Vol. l, No. 3, Nor. 195l, pago 232.
(2) Estabrooks, O.R.,"Tho Possible Antisocial Uso of lypnotisa," PESClALITI,
Vol. 1, o.3, o 1951, 294-209.

(3) Quso, op cit paço 235.

h) Bre man, Yargaret, "Eçerironte in the lrnotic F'rocucticn of Antisccial and Gelr-Injurioua Behavior," PSIcilLan, Vol 3, Ho. 1, Fob 42, Pp 90-51.

Truo,"Robert M. and'Stephenson, Charles V., "Controlled Experincnts Corrclnting Eectrocncephalogram, Pulse and Planter Reflcms with Hypnotic Ago Eocreoaion and Inccd Enotional:States,." PESOLITY, Vol 1, lio 3, lov 51, pace 293.

LeCros, Loslie M.,A Study of tho LIPHOTIZADILITI of Epnotisto," PEESOALITY Vol 1, o 3, Nlov 51, page 301.

(8) Truo and Stophonson, op cit pp 252-262