Effects of negative-sentence suggestions on various behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of negative-sentence suggestions on various behavior. From the standpoint of the logic of negation, Miyashita (1998a, 1999) investigated the characteristics of feelings, sensations, and behavior. The results suggested that negative-sentence suggestions had more affirmative effects on mono-dimensional behavior than on multi-dimensional behavior. The present study examined this hypothesis. A total of 36 subjects (18 males, 18 females, mean age=23.22, SD=3.41) participated in the experiment. Subjects were given suggestions related to either mono-dimensional behavior or multi-dimensional behavior in negative-sentence form. An example of a suggestion related to mono-dimensional behavior would be "Your body does not move backwards", while an example for multi-dimensional behavior would be "Your body does not move." Body sway was then measured. Results showed that negative-sentence suggestions had more affirmative effects on mono-dimensional behavior than on multi-dimensional behavior. The hypothesis proposed by previous studies was supported.