title: Mirrored-self misidentification in the hypnosis laboratory: recreating the delusion from its component factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that one's reflection in the mirror is a stranger. According to Langdon and Coltheart's (2000) "two-factor" theory of monothematic delusions, the delusion can arise from deficits in face processing (Factor 1) and belief evaluation (Factor 2). This study gave participants separate hypnotic suggestions for these two factors to create a hypnotic analogue of the delusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six high hypnotisable participants received a hypnotic suggestion for either Factor 1 alone or for Factors 1 and 2, either with hypnosis (hypnosis condition) or without (wake condition). Participants were asked to look into a mirror and to describe what they saw. Participants who reported seeing a stranger in the mirror also received a series of challenges.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 70% of participants in the hypnosis condition passed the delusion; only 22% of participants in the wake condition passed. Importantly, in hypnosis, the Factor 1 alone suggestion was just as effective in creating the delusion as the combined Factor 1 and Factor 2 suggestion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that hypnotic suggestion can recreate the mirrored-self misidentification delusion from its component factors. Notably, the hypnotic context, itself known to disrupt belief evaluation, can act as Factor 2.
authors.affiliation: ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Macquarie Centre for Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. michael.connors@mq.edu.au
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Connors
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barnier
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coltheart
authors.forename: Rochelle E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langdon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003702:Delusions / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D013404:Suggestion