Toward a neurophysiological model of hypnotic memory effects

In the early 1980s the use of hypnosis of "refresh" eyewitness memory was increasing with little opposition. While there was some evidence that hypnosis could produce confabulation, the mechanisms underlying this effect were poorly understood. A central hypothesis was that hypnosis simply altered response criterion such that hypnotized individuals were more likely to report as memories information in which they had little confidence. It was in this context that Dywan and Bowers first approached the topic of hypnosis and memory. Paying attention to the importance of experiential data in the experimental context allowed for the development of an alternate perspective, i.e., the "illusion of familiarity." Meanwhile, factors involved in the fallibility of recollection have received considerable research attention and these data are consistent with the view that the experience of remembering can be altered in ways far more complex than can be captured by a simple report criterion perspective.