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Hypnotic induction profiles, contextual innuendo, and delayed intrusion errors for a narrative: searching for
1Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|December 8, 1998
Summary
Suggestibility influences memory reconstruction. Participants exposed to innuendos produced more erroneous inferences and paraphrases when recalling an ambiguous narrative, impacting memory accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Memory is reconstructive and susceptible to external influences.
- Suggestibility can impact the accuracy of recalled events.
- Ambiguous narratives may be particularly vulnerable to distortion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of suggestibility on memory reconstruction.
- To examine how leading questions (innuendos) affect narrative recall.
- To explore the relationship between suggestibility, prevalence estimates, and memory distortions.
Main Methods:
- Participants listened to an ambiguous narrative.
- Hypnotic induction and dichotic word-listening tasks assessed suggestibility.
- Participants estimated prevalence of child abuse or alien abduction.
- Narrative recall was assessed one week later.
Main Results:
- Suggestibility, prevalence estimates, sense of presence, and reduced cerebral lateralization loaded on the same factor.
- No significant difference in literal memories across groups.
- Groups receiving innuendos produced 11% more erroneous inferences and paraphrases.
Conclusions:
- Suggestibility is linked to memory distortion.
- Innuendos can lead to inaccurate memory reconstructions.
- Cognitive factors influence the reliability of eyewitness testimony.