The cognitive neuroscience of the highly suggestible person

Verbal suggestions are capable of eliciting pronounced changes in cognition and perception and their neurophysiological substrates, particularly in highly suggestible individuals. I will describe our recent research aiming to elucidate the neurocognitive profile of these individuals. This research adds to accumulating evidence implicating brain networks supporting higher-order awareness and cognitive control and highlights some of the vulnerabilities conferred by high suggestibility. Studying this unique population offers a valuable path to understanding the mechanisms of suggestion and germane phenomena .

Devin is a senior lecturer in psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-directs the Goldsmiths Consciousness Research Unit and directs the Timing, awareness, and suggestion lab. His lab uses methods from cognitive neuroscience and experimental psychology to study different features of awareness with a focus on the neural bases of time perception and the use of suggestion to regulate awareness.