Reports of real and false memories: The relevance of hypnosis, hypnotizability, and context of memory test.

Abstract

Thirty high- and 30 low-hypnotizable subjects saw slides of a purse snatching and then imagined seeing the slides in hypnosis or waking conditions. The experimenter suggested the offender had a moustache (true), wore a scarf (false), and picked up flowers (false). Memory was tested by the experimenter after the suggestion, by another experimenter during an inquiry session, and again by the 2nd experimenter after the experimenter appeared to end the session. Hypnotizability, but not hypnosis, was associated with false memory reports; more high-than low-hypnotizable subjects reported false memories. The context of testing influenced true and false memory reports; fewer reports occurred in an informal rather than a formal test context.