The Warmth Suggestibility Scale—a procedure for measuring the influence of suggestion on warmth sensations

A new tool for measuring sensory suggestibility is presented, which consists of 12 items applied twice (on the right and left side of the body). The subject is told to indicate when he notices a warmth stimulus. However, apart from a small number of dummies, the objective presentation of the announced stimulus is only simulated. The number of trials in which the subject “perceived” a nonexistent stimulus is an index of suggestibility. The scale proved to have satisfactory internal consistency. Warmth suggestibility correlated positively with the ability to relax. Nonsuggestible subjects were willing to give excuses for their “inability” to perceive subtle warmth sensations. The results are discussed in terms of different types of suggestibility and implications for understanding different forms of suggestion.