Towards a Social Learning Theory of Hypnosis

Abstract

A theory of hypnotic suggestibility is advanced based on social learning theory principles. The theory is presented in four parts and a summary section, with each part devoted to one of four constructs (attention, retention, reproduction, and reinforcement/motivational processes) used to account for such behavior. All four constructs are borrowed from Bandura's (1969) social learning theory, and a modified version of Kahneman's (1973) capacity model of attention is employed to bolster Bandura's conceptualizations with regard to attention. It is argued that hypnotic suggestibility is a type of social learning involving verbal modeling, that differs from other more common types only in the particular form taken by attention and coding (retention) in hypnosis.