Orne Protests Absence of Controls In Current Research on Hypnosis

"People look like zombies under hypnosis because they think they should," Martin T. Orne, Teaching Fellow in Psychiatry, said last night at the Law School Forum. Noting the unusual problems involved in research on hypnosis, he declared that even intelligent experimenters seldom make an effort to establish controls.

One of the most compelling "proofs" of the change in physical capabilities induced by the hypnotic trance, Orne observed, is the famous two chair experiment. In this experiment the subject, supported by chairs at head and feet, attains a position rigid enough to sustain the weight of another person. However, Orne performed the same demonstration with a volunteer in the waking state, showing that the "feat" is within the capacity of the normal, healthy person.

Although the hypnotist can introduce practically any distortion of sensory perception, there is no evidence that he can control the "will" of the subject, Orne said. Psychologists have tended to adopt one of two positions concerning the legal problems posed by this question of control.

Some psychologists maintain that the hypnotist cannot induce anyone to do anything which he considers immoral. Others assert that a hypnotized subject will exhibit any behavior, provided the proper techniques are employed.

Both of these positions are irrefutable, Orne pointed out, because they are untestable. It is impossible to determine what a given subject considers "immoral," or what constitutes "proper techniques."