A comparison of hypnotic and waking recall

Critical Issues in American Psychiatry and the Law

“…This study clearly established two tendencies in hypnotic hypermnesia: (a) a modest increase in the amount of material available to memory, and (b) a tendency to confabulate-to fill in those aspects which the subject cannot remember, in an effort to comply with the suggestions of the hypnotist. More recent studies, such as those of White, Fox, and Harris (1940), Sears (1954), and Dhanens and Lundy (1975), appear to show increased recall of meaningful, though nontraumatic, material in hypnosis. (No such effect has been demonstrated with nonsense syllables.)…”

Hypnosis, Memory, and Incidental Memory

“…In general, there was little evidence that hypnosis aided in the recall of any specific stimuli. One study, however, Sears (1954) did show neutral hypnotic recall to be superior to waking recall for a large number of items scattered on a table top and observed for 30 seconds. Recall was tested immediately and at subsequent intervals of one and three weeks.…”

Hypnotic interviewing: the best way to interview eyewitnesses?

“…However, and most important for eyewitness interviewing, when recall of highsense material is considered, there is some indication that hypnosis may enhance recall performance (e.g., Cooper & London, 1973;Crawford & Allen, 1983;De Piano & Salzberg, 1981;Dhanens & Lundy, 1975;Dorcus, 1960;Gheorghi, 1972;Rosenthal, 1944;Sears, 1954;Sheehan & Tilden, 1984;Stager & Lundy, 1985;Stalnaker & Riddle, 1932;White, Fox, & Harris, 1940). However, not all such studies show signi®cant eects (e.g., McConkey & Nogrady, 1984;Nogrady, McConkey, & Perry, 1985;Timm, 1981;Wagsta & Mercer, 1993;Wagsta & Sykes, 1983) and none of the former studies controlled for response criteria.…”