Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime
Published on: May 3, 2016
Dangers of anecdotal reports
1Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, USA. dphaslet@aol.com
Abstract:
The anecdotal case study tradition in psychoanalysis has a long, hallowed history and continues to seem the best way to describe our clinical encounters. But reliance on memory in the absence of witnesses or other kinds of corroboration (such as audio recording) can (a) protect standard theory from necessary corrections; (b) lead to the underreporting of technical mistakes, outright clinical failures, and, paradoxically, innovative approaches; (c) tempt us to substitute, by way of narrative smoothing, what ought to happen for what actually transpired; and (d) lead to the loss of an invaluable, one-of-a-kind set of observations that can never be replaced.
Related Concept Videos
The Availability Heuristic
Types of Reports II: Incident or Occurrence Report
Purposes:
In the healthcare industry, reports play a crucial role in documenting incidents within an agency. The primary objective of these reports is to ensure patient safety, uphold the...
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Types of Reports III: Telephone and Verbal Reports
Here's an overview of each type:
Telephone Orders
Data Reporting and Recording
Naturalistic Observations
