This study examined the effects of direct wording (authoritative language, specific responses) versus indirect wording (permissive language, choice of responses) of hypnotic inductions and suggestions on measures of behavioral and subjective responding. Subjects experienced suggestion-related involuntariness and suggested effects to a greater degree in response to direct-worded suggestions (Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A; Shor & Orae, 1962) than in response to indirect-worded suggestions (Alman-Wexler Indirect Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale; Pratt, Wood, & Alman, 1984). No difference in behavioral responding was observed. Furthermore, induction wording did not have an effect on these measures, nor did the wording of the induction and the wording of the suggestion types interact with each other. Female subjects attributed less of their responsiveness to their own efforts when they received direct suggestions, and male subjects were less likely to attribute their responsivity to the hypnotist's ability when they received indirect suggestions. Rapport with the hypnotist did not vary as a function of induction or suggestion wording.More than a decade ago, T. Barber, Spanos, and Chaves (1974) argued that the wording of suggestions played an important role in determining subjects' hypnotic responding. Indeed, early studies indicated that permissively worded suggestions were more effective than those worded authoritatively (T. Barber, 1969; T. Barber & Calverly, 1966). In recent years, indirect suggestions have come to be widely recognized as a hallmark of Ericksonian hypnosis (Erickson & Rossi, 1979;Lankton & Lankton, 1983; Yapko, 1983). T. Barber (1985) contrasted direct and indirect suggestions on two dimensions: (a) Indirect suggestions use permissive language as contrasted to the authoritarian, directive language of direct suggestions, and (b) indirect suggestions offer a choice of responses, whereas direct suggestions usually prescribe a specific response. impressive claims have been made for the success of indirect hypnotic procedures. For example, J. Barber (1977) reported that 99 out of 100 dental patients who received the "indirect" rapid induction analgesia (RIA) procedure were able to undergo dental operations while using hypnosis as the only anesthesia. Although Frichton and Roth (1985) were able to show that the RIA was effective in producing analgesia, other studies using the RIA in podiatric surgery (Crowley, 1980), with pain in paraplegics (Snow, 1978), and in dental procedures (Gillett & Coe, 1984) secured far less impressive results. Recently, Van Gorp, Meyer, and Dunbar (1985) conducted a well-controlled study that not only failed to replicate the effectiveness of the RIA but also found that an analgesic effect was limited to traditional hypnotic procedures. These conflicting findings are not unrepresentative of the broader literature on the effects of suggestion wording. Indeed, procedural differences across studies and methodological short-Correspondence concerning thi...

We predicted that elderly clients behaving incompetently would be evaluated more negatively on memory, alertness, and mental flexibility than young clients showing identical behaviors. Judgments of competent elderly and young clients were predicted not to differ. Male (N = 192) andfemale(A r = 183) undergraduates were randomly assigned to hear I of 8 simulated audiotaped segments of an interview concerning a spouse's drinking problem. Tapes varied client age (25 vs. 74), gender, and cognitive behaviors (competent vs. mildly incompetent). Analyses found main effects of behaviors, but contrary to prediction, no main or interaction effects of age on participants' ratings of client behaviors. Female clients were perceived as having better memory and greater alertness than their male counterparts. Participants expressed greater empathy for, and willingness to interact with, the incompetent elderly than for young client. Future directions for research are discussed. This article is based on a master's thesis completed by Cindy L. Matyi under the direction of Jean Drevenstedt. An earlier version was presented at the 40th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Geron-

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