Williams (1994) looked at 206 women who were sexually assulted 20 yrs ago
After interviews - found 35% no recall of events
Of those who did, most said there was a time when they wouldn't have been able to recall past
Shows how common repressin is when negative emotions are involved but also that it is possible to retrieve them from subconsious
Karon & Widener (1997) - studied WW2 veterans who suffered post-traumatic stress
Found after having therapy and talking about emotions which were previously repressed - stress levels reduced
Highlghts how much repressed memories still affect consious selves
After discovery, repressed memory therapy (RMT) introduced
Allows people to talk about memories, reducing anxiety - however, criticised as it was thought false, unpleasant memories could be planted into patients heads
Ease of creating false memories demonstrated - Loftus & Pickrell (1995)
Convinced adults they'd been lost in mall as child to the point that even after being told it was a study, they remained convinced it was true.
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