Skirting the issue: what does believing in repression mean?

Jianqin Wang, Henry Otgaar, Olivier Dodier, Mark L. Howe, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Elizabeth F. Loftus, Steven Jay Lynn, Harald Merckelbach, Lawrence Patihis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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Abstract

We show that, in contrast to Brewin, Li, Ntarantana, Unsowrth, and McNeilis (2019), large proportions of laypersons believe in the scientifically controversial phenomenon of unconscious repressed memories. We provide new survey data showing that when participants are asked specific questions about what they mean when they report that traumatic memories can be repressed, most provide answers strongly consistent with unconscious repression. Our findings continue to show that researchers, legal professionals, and clinicians should be wary of invoking unconscious repression in their work.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1996-2000
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Experimental Psychology: General
Volume149
Issue number10
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2020

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