ABSTRACT

What do people really think of when they say they believe in repressed traumatic memory? In two studies (N_{Study 1}= 3158; N_{Study 2}= 305) using an integrative method taking into account recent methodological discussions, we found that, in total, 2458 participants (71% of the two combined samples) reported that they believed in repressed memory. In Study 1, based on separate questions on the whole group, we found 71% of agreement with the concept of repression, 74% with the concept of unconscious repression, and 54% with the concept of deliberate memory suppression. Participants with no memory of childhood abuse endorsed unconscious and deliberate mechanisms less than those with such memories. In Study 2, the order in which the items were presented was not associated with the beliefs in the different statements. Overall, our results show that people see repression as an unconscious mechanism. We suggest the use of within-subject designs and/or follow-up questions to determine how people understand the concept of repression. Such adherence to this controversial concept can have adverse implications in the clinical and legal arenas.

摘要

当人们说他们相信被压抑的创伤记忆时，他们真正想到的是什么？在两项研究中（N_{研究 1} = 3158；N_{研究 2}= 305）使用综合方法，考虑到最近的方法论讨论，我们发现总共有 2458 名参与者（两个组合样本的 71%）报告说他们相信被压抑的记忆。在研究 1 中，基于对整个小组的单独问题，我们发现 71% 的人同意压抑的概念，74% 的人同意无意识压抑的概念，54% 的人同意故意记忆抑制的概念。没有童年虐待记忆的参与者比有这种记忆的参与者更认可无意识和蓄意的机制。在研究 2 中，项目的呈现顺序与不同陈述中的信念无关。总的来说，我们的研究结果表明，人们将压抑视为一种无意识的机制。我们建议使用主题内设计和/或后续问题来确定人们如何理解压抑的概念。这种对这一有争议的概念的坚持可能在临床和法律领域产生不利影响。