The Phenomenological Control Scale: Measuring the Capacity for Creating Illusory Nonvolition, Hallucination and Delusion
Collabra Psychology January 1, 2021 Peter Lush, R. B. Y. Scott, Anil K. Seth et al. 35 citations
Phenomenological control—the ability to generate experiences to match expectancies—varies as a stable trait and can be measured through responses to imaginative suggestions such as paralysis, amnesia, or hallucinations. While traditionally studied within hypnosis, the context of hypnosis itself may distort scores due to misconceptions. The Phenomenological Control Scale (PCS), adapted from the Sussex Waterloo Scale of Hypnotizability but without hypnotic framing, yields higher mean scores and similar reliability on its subjective scale. The PCS is thus a valid tool for assessing trait phenomenological control outside the hypnotic context, suitable for broader psychological experiments.