Science as careful questioning: Are claims of a false memory syndrome epidemic based on empirical evidence?

Abstract

First glimpse: An invited examination of subjects who have rejected their recovered visualization as false memories. Issues in Child Abuse Accusations, 6,[123][124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132][133]

False and Recovered Memories in the Laboratory and Clinic: A Review of Experimental and Clinical Evidence

“…Despite recent claims that false memories of sexual abuse and a false-memory syndrome reached epidemic proportions in the 1990s (e.g., P. Freyd, 1999;Goldstein & Farmer, 1992;Pendergrast, 1995), we found no empirical clinical research to support such a claim (for further discussion of this topic see K. S. Pope, 1996Pope, , 1997; for a critique, see Kihlstrom, 1997). The primary clinical evidence for the existence of false memories of trauma comes mainly from anecdotal reports by either persons who claim to have been falsely accused of sexual abuse or from persons known as ''retractors'' or ''recantors,'' persons who once reported having had memories of sexual abuse that they now believe to be false.…”

“…Currently there are few or no empirical data supporting the claim that falsememory syndrome exists (Gleaves & Freyd, 1997;K. Pope, 1996K. Pope, , 1997, mainly because so little research on this issue has been conducted.…”

The timing, triggers and qualities of recovered memories in therapy

“…This was rated if the respondent indicated having used at least one technique with the client in question, speci®cally to help him or her remember past experiences rather than for any other therapeutic reason. Techniques were taken from a list implicated by previous theorists as`risky ' (Lindsay & Read, 1994; but see critiques of the concept of`risky ' techniques by Brown, Sche¯in, &Hammond, 1997, andPope, 1997). They included hypnosis, dream interpretation, guided imagery, use of photos, relaxation, instructions to remember, interpreting physical symptoms and writing and artwork.…”

Knowing and not knowing about trauma: Implications for therapy.

“…Because trauma research cannot, and ethically should not, use controlled experimental research methods that directly explore responses to trauma, it often relies on correlational analyses or experimental investigations of mechanisms or processes considered similar to those individuals experience during trauma. Though many psychologists are quick to generalize on the basis of laboratory findings regarding cognition and memory for nontraumatic events, the questionable ecological validity of many such findings tempers their applicability to traumatic processes (e.g., Pope, 1997). …”

“…Such challenges are likely to be related to professional and societal conclusions regarding trauma and its effects. Though empirical study reveals considerable variation in awareness for trauma, the state of this science is often polarized or misrepresented (Freyd, 1998;Pope, 1997). For instance, a large body of research documents the phenomenon of delayed accurate recall for trauma (e.g., Burgess, Hartman, & Baker, 1995;Cheit, 1998;Corwin & Olafson, 1997;Herman & Schatzow, 1987;Sheflin & Brown, 1996;Sivers, Schooler, & Freyd, 2002), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.…”