Imagination,Cognition and Personality

The present study investigated the relationships between different criteria of personality factors as measured by the NEO Personality Inventory and sandtray expressions of normal adult subjects. Several of the quantitative sandtray rating criteria correlated significantly with the Neuroticism and Openness factors. The Neuroticism facets of Impulsivity and Hostility were related to the amount of space used and the presence of fences; Anxiety was related to the amount of space used and Vulnerability to the use of fences. The Openness factor correlated with the number of archetypal figures used and the total amount of figures present in the constructions. The use of archetypal figures correlated significantly with the Value facet of the Openness factor, and the total number of objects used to the Aesthetics facet. The correlations of the lexically based NEO-PI with the imagery based sandtray expressions imply the commonalities of these two modes of expression for the two personality styles.

This study examined the effects of an intensive stress-reduction program on changes in daydreams and levels of burn-out in twenty-seven women mental health workers who participated in two weekend conferences followed by monthly support groups. The study measured the effectiveness of intervention by evaluating changes in stress and daydreaming prior to and upon completion of the program. As hypothesized, participants showed lower levels of exhaustion and depersonalization and a fear of failure. There was a positive relationship between achievement-oriented daydreams and attendance at meetings. Results were interpreted in terms of the effect of structured intervention in affecting positive daydreams and preventing burn-out.

This study compared the relative efficacy of four popular methods of memory retrieval: hypnosis, “Guided Memory,” “Cognitive Interview,” and spontaneous free recall. These retrieval methods, tested in an academic setting, were paired with different intake methods, utilizing audio, visual, audio-visual, and reading inputs. All interview sessions, including hypnosis induction, were conducted individually and only free recall (as opposed to forced recall) techniques were used by the interviewers. The number of subjects' correct responses was converted to a percentage of the total of potentially remembered items. These data, through the use of a Treatment ö Block ANOVA, showed a statistically significant difference between intake methods but a nonsignificant difference between recall methods, suggesting that guided memory and cognitive interview techniques may be as effective as hypnosis in short term free recall. This study indicates that when contributing cognitive features are extracted, hypnosis by itself does not lead to further memory improvement Confabulations and distortions, though present in any type of reconstructed memory, are minimal when force, pressure, or persuasion is absent from the retrieval process.

Quite naturally, Imagination, Cognition and Personality is the literal context of the present series of articles, which aims to examine what is known and knowledgeably held about the nature and character of the referents of William James's concept of the stream of consciousness. The sixth and seventh installments focus on selected relevant interpretations and facts from Imagination, Cognition and Personality. These relevancies include 1) Lee Tilford Davis and Peder J. Johnson's result of no mental activity at all reported ten per cent of the time by the subjects in an experiment using a thought-sampling technique, 2) Richard A. Block, John L. Saggau, and Leo H. Nickol's finding of similarity between the stream of consciousness and college students' conception of physical time, and 3) L. Stafford Betty's analysis of certain basic durational components of the stream of consciousness (which he calls “non-symbolic”) that are frequently reported as characteristic of mystical experience.

In this article we report on an OBE and NDE-simulation study carried out with psychology students (n = 21). In addition to deep relaxation and special forms of hypnotic induction, a number of supplementary techniques were introduced. Effects of the simulation were examined by means of a questionnaire developed especially for the simulation experiment. Modifications and improvements were tested on several subjects who scored high on our questionnaires, and qualitative analysis were performed. Our observations and data are in accordance with findings from NDE and OBE research.

We factor analyzed the responses of 784 subjects to a seventy-five-item paranormal belief questionnaire. Principle components analysis extracted four components which were subjected to alpha factoring with oblique and orthogonal rotations. An oblique solution was judged as most appropriate based on the factor correlation matrix. A higher order factor analysis yielded one common underlying factor. The results are discussed with respect to previous factor analyses of paranormal belief questionnaires by Jones, Russell, and Nickel [1], and Tobacyk and Milford [2].