The Recovered Memory Debate: Wins, Losses, and Creating Future Open-Minded Skeptics

Patihis, Lawrence; Otgaar, Henry; Lynn, Steven Jay; Loftus, Elizabeth F.; McNally, Richard J.

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-14332-8_19

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 41 publications

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“…The debate on the authenticity of memories recovered in therapy lingers on (i.e., Lynn, McNally, et al, 2023;Otgaar et al, 2019;Patihis et al, 2014;Patihis et al, 2023;Patihis et al, 2019;Pope et al, 2022). This observation underscores the importance of examining people who have retracted memories that were once recovered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Memory Reports of Retractors Regarding Abuse

Li,

Otgaar,

Daele

et al. 2023

The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context

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Background: Legal cases and research have shown that due to suggestive therapeutic interventions, people can start to remember abuse that they never experienced. Some of these people eventually retract their claims of abuse. This study examined the memory reports of self-defined retractors of abuse and the prevalence of nonbelieved memories. Method: In this study, a retrospective survey method was used to investigate 56 individuals who had retracted their claims of abuse. We examined details, plausibility, beliefs, and recollections of the abuse before and after retraction, as well as the reasons for withdrawing their belief and the outcomes of both recovered and retracted memories. Results: Twenty-four participants took significantly longer to retract the memories than to initially recover them. The belief in the occurrence of the abusive event and personal plausibility scores were significantly lower after the retraction, whereas the recollection scores were similar before and after the retraction. The main reason for withdrawing the belief in the abuse-related memory was the emergence of external evidence putting doubt on the retractors' claims. After the withdrawal of the memories, some retractors (n = 17, 70.83%, 95% CI [52.6%, 0.89%]) believed that they gained more benefits (e.g., giving them a new chance to re-build their lives and to establish new relationships with others). Conclusion: While the reliability of retractors' reports is unclear, these findings support related work on retractor memory reports and highlight the presence of nonbelieved memories within retractors' memory reports.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the Memory Reports of Retractors Regarding Abuse

Li,

Otgaar,

Daele

et al. 2023

The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context

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An exploration of Italian laypeople’s belief in how human memory works

Stockner,

Convertino,

Talbot

et al. 2024

Memory

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Threats to Scientifically Based Standards in Sex Offense Proceedings: Progress and the Interests of Alleged Victims in Jeopardy

Niehaus

Krause

2023

Monatsschrift Für Kriminologie Und Strafrechtsreform

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In the past, empirical research findings from psychosciences contributed to avoiding erroneous judgments and decisions in criminal proceedings. However, for some time now, developments have arisen that threaten to reverse the achievement at the turn of the millennium that introduced a clear scientific orientation into sex offense proceedings. This article highlights five retrograde developments and uses three examples to illustrate how these developments can interact and, in particular, offer a purported explanation for a lack of memory of experienced abuse. This creates a breeding ground for the formation of false memories that cause suffering in both psychotherapy and criminal proceedings, and it significantly increases the risk of erroneous decisions in criminal proceedings on sex offenses in German-speaking countries.

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The Recovered Memory Debate: Wins, Losses, and Creating Future Open-Minded Skeptics

Cited by 3 publications

References 41 publications

Investigating the Memory Reports of Retractors Regarding Abuse

Investigating the Memory Reports of Retractors Regarding Abuse

An exploration of Italian laypeople’s belief in how human memory works

Threats to Scientifically Based Standards in Sex Offense Proceedings: Progress and the Interests of Alleged Victims in Jeopardy

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