Cognitive scientists routinely distinguish between controlled and automatic mental processes. Through learning, practice, and exposure, controlled processes can become automatic; however, whether automatic processes can become deautomatized - recuperated under the purview of control - remains unclear. Here we show that a suggestion derails a deeply ingrained process involving involuntary audiovisual integration. We compared the performance of highly versus less hypnotically suggestible individuals (HSIs versus LSIs) in a classic McGurk paradigm - a perceptual illusion task demonstrating the influence of visual facial movements on auditory speech percepts. Following a posthypnotic suggestion to prioritize auditory input, HSIs but not LSIs manifested fewer illusory auditory perceptions and correctly identified more auditory percepts. Our findings demonstrate that a suggestion deautomatized a ballistic audiovisual process in HSIs. In addition to guiding our knowledge regarding theories and mechanisms of automaticity, the present findings pave the road to a more scientific understanding of top-down effects and multisensory integration.

Conscious Cogn. 2014 Feb;24:33-7. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2013.12.010. Déry C(1), Campbell NK(1), Lifshitz M(1), Raz A(2). Author information: (1)McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada. (2)McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada; Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Québec, Canada. Electronic address: amir.raz@mcgill.ca.

Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A book review by Tim Brunson PhD

Ranging from everyday people to highly educated professionals, one very popular goal of many is to have their ideas recognized in the form of a published book or article. Indeed, thanks to the opportunities afforded by the Internet, more and more people are expressing themselves in the form of blogs and even those ever-so-brief Facebook and Twitter updates. However, when their desire is to publish in a more substantial format such as an e-book, a printed self-published book, or even one that is done with the assistance of an established publisher, this often takes considerably more planning and discipline. These larger projects are often believe to present insurmountable obstacles But when the art of writing is mastered, efforts can quickly turn into a prolific hobby or source of income.

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by Tim Brunson, PhD

The relevance of suggestion and imagination as a tool for human transformation is still inadequately being explored. On one hand, the benefits of considering the validity of volition as a tool is largely prevented by those self-styled critical thinkers who sincerely believe that they are protecting the public rather than more likely defending the sanctity of their identity. They insist that their well-established and often legally protected beliefs are valid and supported by scientific evidence. Yet, when actually explored, almost always the strength of their thinking is not found in solid scientific research but rather in popularly held beliefs and editorials that grace staid academic journals. On the other hand, the foes of these skeptics are most likely idealistic thinkers, who insist that what they wish to believe is in fact true. Clearly, there must be a middle ground that both addresses unfiltered reality and allows space for human intellectual evolution to occur.

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ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Several pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapeutic options have been used to treat cough that is not associated with a pulmonary or extrapulmonary etiology. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to summarize the evidence supporting different cough management options in adults and children with psychogenic, tic and habit cough. Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Scopus were searched from the earliest inception of each database to September 2013. Content experts were contacted and we searched bibliographies of included studies to identify additional references. RESULTS: A total of 18 uncontrolled studies were identified enrolling 223 patients (46% males, 96% children and adolescent). Psychogenic cough was the most common descriptive term used (90% of the studies). 95% of the patients had no cough during sleep; barking or honking quality of cough was described in only 8 studies. Hypnosis (3 studies), suggestion therapy (4 studies), and counseling and reassurance (7 studies) were the most commonly used interventions. Hypnosis was effective in resolving cough in 78% of the patients and improving it in another 5%. Suggestion therapy resolved cough successfully in 96% of the patients. The greatest majority of improvements noted with these forms of therapy occurred in the pediatric age group. The quality of evidence is low due to the lack of control groups, the retrospective nature of all the studies, heterogeneity of definitions and diagnostic criteria, and the high likelihood of reporting bias. CONCLUSION: Only low quality evidence exists to support a particular strategy to define and treat psychogenic, habit and tic cough. Patient values, preferences, and availability of potential therapies should guide treatment choice.

Chest. 2014 May 15. doi: 10.1378/chest.14-0795. Haydour Q, Alahdab F, Farah M, Moreno PB, Vertigan AE, Newcombe PA, Pringsheim T, Chang AB, Rubin BK, McGarvey L, Weir KA, Altman KW, Feinstein A, Murad M, Irwin RS.