The primary aim of this research was to assess the adequacy of postexperimental inquiries (PEI) used in deception research, as well as to examine whether mood state, reward, or administering the PEI as a face-to-face interview or computer survey impacts participants' willingness to divulge suspicion or knowledge about a study. We also sought to determine why participants are not always forthcoming on the PEI. Study 1 examined how frequently PEIs are included in research and found that most researchers employing deception do use a PEI. Studies 2 and 3 showed that participants are often unwilling to divulge suspicion or awareness of deception or to admit to having prior knowledge about a study, though offering a reward and completing the PEI on a computer modestly improved awareness and admission rates. Study 4 indicated several reasons why participants may not reveal suspicion or knowledge about a study on the PEI.

Hypnotic elicitation of multiple ego states was explored using Hilgard's "hidden observer" paradigm. Twenty subjects in two groups: hypnosis and simulation were utilized to examine the impact of experimental demand characteristics on the production of multiple ego states. Self-report and hypnotist-report measures were obtained in a test-retest design. Multiple t-tests and chi-square analyses were computed with significant differences on key multiple ego state items found between groups. Results demonstrated retest reliability, but not inter-rater reliability of this dissociative phenomena, since hypnotists failed to discriminate real from "faked" hypnotic involvement. Exploration of multiple ego states using non-hypnotic control conditions and multiple dependent measures is suggested for future research.

This thesis investigated the management of conflict between reality and suggestion during hypnosis. The eight experiments conducted for this thesis investigated the social, motivational, and cognitive factors that mediate participants? response to conflict during a negative visual hallucination. Chapter 1 reviews the relevant literature and presents the rationale for the program of research. Chapter 2 presents Experiments 1 and 2, which explored hypnotic participants? capacity to manage conflict under different conditions. The findings indicated that cognitive and behavioural strategies that allow participants to avoid conflict are useful, but not essential, in managing hypnotic conflict. Chapter 3 presents Experiment 3, which developed a paradigm that allowed conflict to be manipulated in a way that minimised response cues. The findings indicated that gradually and unobtrusively modifying a stimulus influenced participants? responses even though participants did not indicate any knowledge that the stimulus was manipulated. Chapter 4 presents Experiment 4, which investigated the relevance of hypnotisability and hypnosis to conflict management. The findings indicated that hypnosis provides a context in which hypnotisable participants are able to maintain their belief despite demanding levels of conflict. Chapter 5 presents Experiments 5 and 6, which focused on the role of social demands in participants? response to hypnotic conflict. The findings indicated that demand characteristics shape participants? interpretation of the appropriate response to conflict during an hypnotic suggestion. Chapter 6 presents Experiments 7 and 8, which addressed the relevance of cognitive processes to hypnotic conflict management. The findings indicated that participants used cognitive strategies to manage conflict that were appropriate to the suggestion, degree of conflict, and their individual abilities. Overall, the findings indicated that hypnotic participants? management of conflict involves motivated, strategic responding so as to maintain a belief that events are as communicated by the hypnotist. These issues are discussed within a theoretical perspective that is presented in Chapter 7. This perspective emphasises the hypnotisability of participants, the role of hypnotic induction, participants? interpretation of the desired response, the belief that participants develop in the reality of the suggested events, and the readiness of participants to employ conflict management strategies that produce the appropriate outcome.

While previous research on episodic memory vividness aims at measuring episodic memory, such cognitive tasks also involve visual mental imagery since vividness is primarily a property of visual mental imagery. Literature also shows that subjective measurements of visual mental imagery (e.g., the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire; VVIQ) are confounded by demand characteristic effects, either by participant response biases or instructional cues. Investigating such claims is most suitable in those who report an absence of visual mental imagery, that is, in aphantasia. Therefore, this study examines whether subjective vividness ratings are interpreted differently between a “visualize” and a “recollect” version of the VVIQ. One hundred and thirty-nine participants filled out online either one of the versions of the questionnaire, which also included an additional manipulation on demand characteristics (i.e., instructional cues on what alleged previous research found on response patterns). Eighty-nine participants self-described with aphantasia. Results showed that irrespective of self-describing with aphantasia or not, participants scored comparably on the two versions of the questionnaire (with aphantasic participants scoring overall lower than control participants), favouring the interpretation that episodic memory vividness involves visual mental imagery. Furthermore, no demand characteristic effects were found in those self-describing with aphantasia, whereas controls’ questionnaire scores were affected only negatively by the employed instructional cues. Different interpretations of such results are discussed, highlighting the idea that it is a difficult methodological exercise to discern the two theoretical constructs: visual mental imagery and episodic memory.

高齡化及少子化的人口結構改變帶來了龐大的銀髮商機，社會總體消費行為以及價值觀亦隨之轉變。惟銀髮市場並非同質性的，其中又以單身女性銀髮族的利基市場最有前景；然而國內鮮少針對特定銀髮族利基市場進行相關的消費者研究。目前對銀髮市場的開發多鎖定現今的銀髮族；然而未來20年將逐漸進入退休生活之40~60歲的族群，平均教育程度及經濟能力較現今的銀髮族為高，思想比上一代開明，加上近年來智慧科技的突飛猛進，其所想望的退休生活勢必與現今的銀髮族大為不同。 因此本研究鎖定此一族群高學歷、高所得、及高資歷的單身熟齡女性進行先驅調查。其思想開明、經濟獨立、可以自由運用時間及金錢、並且願意投資自己，具有很強的消費能力。企藉由了解目標族群的需求與期望，提前開發對應的潛在商機。 本研究先藉由文獻分析，分析目前的總體社會數據、人口結構改變、相關理論模型及市場現況；再採用個別深度訪談法了解每位受訪者的家庭狀況、生活型態、對於退休的想法等等。研究結果顯示受訪者可區隔成四個集群：主流且內向居家的小確幸、心理年輕最願意嘗新的探險家、關心社會注重品質的女鬥士、及控制慾強愛奢侈品的女領導。而受訪者對未來的想望已超越低階的生理及安全需求，而偏向於較高層次的社交、尊重及自我實現需求。 就實際需求面而言，可分成五大層面：健康美麗的緩老需求、安適終老的居住需求、經濟自主的理財需求、教育休閒的娛樂需求、及自我實現的價值需求。根據這五大需求，分別衍生出22項潛在商機，分屬醫療保健、智慧科技、居住交通、金融服務、生活支援及工作休閒等六大構面。 / The changing population structure caused by population aging and low fertility rate has created numerous opportunities for business targeting the elders, which also changes consumer behavior and values in the society. At the moment, the development of silver market mostly focuses on the elders today. However, the forty-to-sixty-year-olds who are going to be retiring in the next twenty years have higher educational background and economic power; moreover, they are more open-minded and have experienced the boost of modern technologies, which gives them much more different expectation for life in retirement than the elders today. Also, the silver market is not homogeneous, and the niche market for single elder women has the brightest prospect. Nevertheless, there is barely any consumer research for the elder niche markets in Taiwan. Therefore, this pioneer research targets at single mature females with high educational level, high income, and high qualifications. They are open-minded, financially independent, able to use their time freely, willing to invest in themselves; above all, they have strong consuming capacity. Through exploration of the expectation and demand of the target customers, the potential business opportunities can be uncovered. The research starts with literature review, analyzing the current social data, the change of population structure, relevant theoretical models, and the current market conditions. Then it adopts the method of individual in-depth interview to understand the family condition, life style, and ideas about retirement of every interviewee. The result of the research shows that the interviewees could be divided into four clusters: the small happiness holders with introverted housebound disposition, the adventurers who stay mentally young and love to try something new, the fighters who care about the society and life quality, and the leaders who love luxuries and to control everything. The interviewees’ expectations of future have already overpassed the most fundamental levels of needs: physiological and safety needs, and are inclined to higher levels needs: social, self-esteem, and self-actualization needs. There are five aspects regarding the practical demands: the ways to slow aging and keep health and beauty, a nice shelter to enjoy the comfortable retirement life, the finance-management to be financially independent, education and entertainment, and the chances of self-actualization. Twenty-two potential business opportunities can be derived from these demands, which respectively belong to the following six categories: medical and health care, intelligence technology, housing and transportation, financial service, living support, and work and entertainment.