Content area
Full Text
This article presents two studies in which the psychometricproperties and validity of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) were further investigated. Results of the first study (N = 40) indicate that the GSS has reasonable internal consistency. Additionally, a modest, but significant test-retest stability was found for the GSS. As to the association between suggestibility and self-reported cognitive efficiency (i.e., metacognition measures), scores on the Yield dimension of the GSS were positively and significantly related to scores on the Dissociation Experiences Scale (DES), but not to scores on the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). In a second, experimental study (N = 53), evidence was found for the predictive validity of the GSS. In that study, subjects saw a slide series and were then confronted with leading questions about the critical (emotional) slide. In addition, they completed the Yield scale of the GSS. A small but significant correlation was found between subjects' Yield scores on the GSS and their susceptibility to leading questions about the slide series.
The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) is an instrument that intends to measure individual differences in interrogative suggestibility (Gudjonsson, 1984a; 1992; 1997). More specifically, the GSS taps two different aspects of interrogative suggestibility, namely the tendency to give in to leading questions (Yield) and the tendency to shift responses under conditions of interpersonal pressure (Shift). In short, the GSS consists of a narrative paragraph that is read out to the subject, who then reports all he or she recalls about the story. Following this, the subject is asked a number of questions about the story, some of which are (mis)leading. Next, the subject is told in an authoritative manner that he or she has made a number of errors and must answer the questions for a second time. Yield refers to susceptibility to suggestive questioning, while Shift pertains to pressured suggestibility, i.e., the tendency to change answers as a result of social pressure.
Several studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the GSS. In general, these studies found that the GSS Yield and Shift scales have sufficient internal reliability and test-retest stability (Gudjonsson,1992), although it is also clear that Shift scores critically depend on whether the pressured instructions are presented in a convincing manner. Furthermore, factor analytic studies have revealed a...