Temporal Lobe Signs: Positive Correlations with Imaginings and Hypnosis Induction Profiles

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Abstract
Converging evidence suggests there should be a relationship between reports of subjective psi experiences, suggestibility, the capacity for imagining, and temporal lobe signs. An entire class ( n = 27) of university students was given the Personal Philosophy Inventory (which contains an indicator of temporal lobe signs) and the Wilson-Barber Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings. The subjects were also evaluated individually on the hypnosis induction procedure (HIP) from Spiegel. There were positive intercorrelations (0.40 to 0.60) between responses on the imaginings, temporal lobe, and suggestibility measures. Clusters of control items for mundane psychological and proprioceptive experiences were not related to imagining, temporal lobe signs or suggestibility. Although temporal lobe signs were correlated with responses to items about paranormal experiences from both the Wilson-Barber and PPI inventories (and were highly correlated with each other), they were not associated with suggestibility. We concluded that, although subjective psi experience may not be influenced by suggestibility, it was associated with the propensity for temporal lobe signs which is frequently associated with the report of psi experiences.