| Abstract: | Two experiments demonstrated that the experience of physical sensations is the result of hypothesis-guided selective search and encoding. In Exp I with 38 undergraduates, Ss listened to a stimulus that was said to increase, decrease, or have no effect on skin temperature. Results indicate that Ss selectively monitored only those changes in skin temperature congruent with the experimentally induced hypotheses, thus resulting in self-reports of change in skin temperature in the suggested directions. Two replications using heart rate (HR) and nasal congestion, which imposed search strategies, produced comparable results. In Exp II with 31 Ss, Ss viewed a heartbeat chart and assessed the degree to which a hypothetical drug influenced a target person's HR. Perceptions of change in HR were influenced by both experimentally induced hypotheses as well as Ss' perceptions of their own HR. That is, if prior to the experiment Ss believed their own pulse was accelerated, they were more likely to perceive the graphed heartbeat accelerating as well. Findings point to parallels between perception of internal state and the external environment. Finally, the roles of hypothesis-guided selective search are extended to placebo effectiveness. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
