Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

HYPNOSIS and Memory Recall

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HYPNOSIS ON MEMORY RECALL

For more than 150 years, hypnosis has been employed as a tool to promote witnesses' recollection of the sequence of events that result in the perpetration of various types of crimes (Gravitz, 1995). The application of hypnosis for this purpose is known as forensic hypnosis. On the one hand, hypnosis has produced effective outcomes by eliciting testimony that is not only believable, but also supported through independent evidence. For instance, in the case of Beck v. Norris, five witnesses were able to provide descriptions of the perpetrator of a robbery after undergoing hypnosis. The composite sketch that resulted from these descriptions led to the identification of the defendant, which was further confirmed by a witness who had not been hypnotized or involved in the previous interrogations involving the other witnesses (Webert, 2003). On the other hand, hypnosis can also lead to dire consequences in the legal context when it produces erroneous information, as in the case of State v. Mack. In this case, the victim who was hypnotized recalled detailed information that did not match the facts. Although she recalled that she had been stabbed multiple times, there was only one stab wound (Webert, 2003).

Due to potentially beneficial and adverse effects of hypnotically-elicited testimony, it is little wonder that the use of forensic hypnosis in the law enforcement system is wrought in controversy. While some courts have allowed the jury to determine the admissibility of the hypnotically-elicited testimony, other courts have banned it completely due to the uncertainties over its reliability (Webert, 2003).

The debate about the validity of forensic hypnosis essentially centers on the effectiveness of hypnosis in enhancing memory recall. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the viability of forensic hypnosis by examining the two opposing perspectives that rev...

Page 1 of 12 Next >

More on HYPNOSIS and Memory Recall...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
HYPNOSIS and Memory Recall. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:32, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687717.html