Anecdotal evidence has suggested that hypnotic procedures enhance recall performance in actual crime cases, but experimental data in applied settings has been lacking. This study examined the comparative effectivness of hypnosis and goal-directed recall strategies as supplementary tools for memory refreshment in actual major crimes. / The experimental design was a two-by-two factorial: hypnotic induction vs. no hypnotic induction, and visual recall instructions vs. non-visual recall instructions. Forty-four witnesses and victims were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions after standard interrogations had been completed, and referrals had been made for additional interviewing with the Los Angeles Police Department's (LAPD) hypnosis team. Ten skilled LAPD hypno-investigators were randomly assigned to cells and conducted the interview sessions. / The yield and accuracy of new and confirmatory data were measured with several instruments designed or adapted for the study. Sixteen identified eyewitness and interviewing factors were also analyzed for their moderating effect on recall performance: age, alcohol consumption, crime seriousness, cross-racial identification, drug consumption, education, emotional arousal, exposure time, latency period of recall, lighting conditions, physical proximity, prior hypnosis experience, race, styles of questioning, throughness of questioning, and violence. / The results of the present study fail to support the notion that hypnosis, with or without visual imagery cues, enhances eyewitness or victim recall performance. No significant differences were found on either the production or correctness of new or confirmatory crime-related information. / The effect of selective eyewitness and interviewing moderator factors is less clear. Although group equivalence on each of the moderator variables was obtained, the author did not conduct a multivariate analysis on the combined effects of these factors. / Additional refinements of the design paradigm and a larger subject pool are indicated to further explicate the potential values and hazards of these procedures in criminal proceedings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: B, page: 2551. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74573 |
| Contributors | SLOANE, MARTIN CHARLES., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 257 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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