NCJ Number
100904
Date Published
1986
Length
173 pages
Annotation
This study failed to substantiate previous research that found hypnotic subjects significantly less accurate than controls on recall and recognition tasks which contain misleading information.
Abstract
One hundred college students were placed in an emotionally charged situation and subsequently asked to recall events and identify significant persons. The subjects were divided into 5 groups of 20. One group received hypnosis plus guided memory. Two others received guided memory only and hypnosis only. The remaining two groups were control groups that received neither hypnosis nor guided memory. One control group received motivational instructions and the other did not. Two days after the event, subjects' memories were tested with questionnaires and photo lineups that contained both leading and nonleading items. In contrast to previous research findings, hypnosis did not produce less accuracy on suggestive questions or lineups. Subjects in the hypnosis conditions did not differ significantly from controls on either leading or nonleading questions or in confidence about the accuracy of their answers. On the photo lineups, hypnotized subjects correctly identified event participants at significantly higher rates than controls. Guided memory did not aid recall, but did interact with hypnosis to improve recognition on one lineup. Appendixes contain study instruments and other methodological materials. Tabular data and 64 references.