NCJ Number
105576
Date Published
1987
Length
19 pages
Annotation
An experimental study concluded that hypnosis does not enhance the memory of material that is not emotionally charged, but it does increase an individual's confidence that recall errors are accurate recollections.
Abstract
The study aimed to overcome methodological problems of earlier research on hypnosis by using a modification of the forced-recall technique developed by Erdelyi. The subjects were 33 male and 45 female undergraduate volunteers who were assessed as being either low hypnotizable or high hypnotizable. They initially viewed a 15-minute film, 'Posters,' after which they completed a 20-item, multiple-choice questionnaire about the film. They completed the questionnaire again 4 days later. Between 4 and 12 days after the initial group session, each subject individually answered 40 questions about the film while awake. Following this wake recall phase, subjects were randomly assigned to a wake or a hypnosis treatment condition for a second recall test. All groups improved in recall from the wake condition to the treatment condition, but the hypnotized subjects did not show greater improvement. Subjects who had been hypnotized had more confidence in their answers, however, even when their recall was erroneous. The results suggest interviewing techniques that might produce as much information as hypnosis and indicate the need for research on hypnosis in relation to events involving anxiety. Figures and 24 references.