Friedlander-Sarbin Scale

The Friedlander-Sarbin Scale is a measurement tool used in psychology to assess an individual’s level of suggestibility. It was developed by David Friedlander and Theodore X. Sarbin, two prominent psychologists who focused on the study of hypnosis and suggestibility.

Overview

The Friedlander-Sarbin Scale is designed to quantify an individual’s ability to be influenced or persuaded by external suggestions. It consists of a series of questions or tasks that assess various aspects of suggestibility, such as responsiveness to authority figures, susceptibility to social influence, and susceptibility to hypnosis.

Scoring

The scale assigns numerical scores to each item or task, with higher scores indicating greater levels of suggestibility. The scoring system may vary depending on the specific version or adaptation of the scale used. Some versions utilize a Likert scale, where participants rate their agreement or disagreement with each statement, while others may use a binary scoring system (e.g., 0 for no response, 1 for partial response, 2 for full response).

Applications

The Friedlander-Sarbin Scale has been used in research studies exploring the factors influencing suggestibility and the relationship between suggestibility and certain psychological traits or disorders. It has also been utilized in forensic psychology to assess witness testimony and determine the reliability of eyewitness accounts.

Criticism and Limitations

While the Friedlander-Sarbin Scale provides a quantifiable measure of suggestibility, it has been criticized for relying on self-reported data, which may be influenced by social desirability bias or other factors. The scale’s generalizability to different populations and cultural contexts has also been questioned, as the extent of suggestibility can vary across individuals and settings.