Saturday, January 21, 2012

Kenneth S. PopeWhat Psychologists Better Know About Recovered Memories: Research, Lawsuits, and the Pivotal Experiment


What Psychologists Better Know About Recovered Memories:
Research, Lawsuits, and the Pivotal Experiment


SUMMARY: The following article reviews 6 major scientific, ethical, and legal issues raised in the book The Myth of Repressed Memory by Elizabeth Loftus and Katherine Ketcham. It examines the assertion that a study by Lindsay and Poole revealed that there are "over 1 million cases of 'recovered memories' each year"; looks at the use of the ad hominem fallacy; notes legal actions undertaken by 2 members of the FMSF Advisory Board that not only raised the issue of a conspiracy directed against them but also accused the American Psychological Association of engaging in racketeering activity; examines Wakefield and Underwager's defamation suit against a prominent psychologist and the resulting judge's opinion about litigating science; and reviews some high-profile cases involving Paul McHugh and others that illustrate the complex issues in this area.

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