HYPNOTICALLY INDUCED AGE REGRESSION VERSUS AGE REGRESSION IN RESPONSE TO TASK MOTIVATION INSTRUCTIONS ON FIVE DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS (VANE TEST, PIAGETIAN TASKS, SIMULATION

Two explanations are commonly posited to explain the phenomenon of hypnotic age regression.;One explanation states that hypnotically regressed subjects return to an earlier developmental period, experiencing a functional ablation of all subsequent events.;The alternative hypothesis states that people unconsciously play a role in response to the demand characteristics of the hypnotic situation. "Role" theorists believe that this explanation accounts for the results of many studies in which hypnotically regressed subjects behave in a younger manner than adult control subjects, but also exhibit more sophisticated behavior than children of a particular chronological age.;The present investigation attempted to clarify some of the conflicting findings commonly reported in the literature on age regression through a methodology which utilized a convergent analysis and attempted to obscure relevant demand characteristics.;Forty five college freshmen were randomly assigned to either the Hypnotic Age Regression group, Task Motivation group, or the Adult Control group. Fifteen children comprised the Normative Child Control group. All subjects received the Vane Kindergarten Test (Vane, 1968) as well as two Piagetian tasks involving conservation of continuous quantity and ordinal relations concepts.;It was predicted that hypnotically age regressed subjects and task motivated subjects would differ from adult control subjects on the Vane Kindergarten Test (Vane, 1968), but only hypnotically regressed subjects would exhibit performance consistent with child control subjects. This hypothesis was not supported by Analysis of Variance and the Neuman-Keuls procedure.;It was also predicted that hypnotically regressed subjects would exhibit performances on both Piagetian tasks consistent with the child control subjects, while task motivated subjects would exhibit performances similar to adult control subjects. This prediction was not supported by a Chi-Square analysis and the Fisher's Exact Test.;It was further predicted that hypnotically regressed subjects would experience the regression phenomenon as "real" more than task motivated subjects. This prediction was not supported by the Fisher's Exact Test.;The present investigation reflected the contradictions typically reported in age regression research. On all measures, except conservation of continuous quantity, age regression consistent with the performance of child control subjects was not demonstrated.