Evidence for Hypnotically Refreshed Testimony: The View from the Laboratory

The evidence for differences in recall accuracy for hypnotized vs. nonhypnotized eyewitnesses in forensically relevant settings was examined through a meta-analytic review of 24 research studies. Recall accuracy for nonleading questions after a 1- to 2-day delay favored the hypnotized subjects ( d = .46); however, less accurate recall was evidenced for hypnotized subjects following a delay of less than 24 hours ( d = − .29) or a one-week delay ( d = −.24). The recall of hypnotized subjects also displayed more intrusion of uncued errors and higher levels of pseudomemory. Hypnotized subjects also expressed higher levels of confidence in recall accuracy compared to nonhypnotized subjects. Caution is urged regarding use of hypnotically refreshed memory.