DO YOU BELIEVE IN REPRESSED MEMORIES

A survey of 613 undergraduates investigated beliefs about and experien ce with repressed memories. The results indicated that participants (a ) had some degree of belief in repressed memories; (b) felt that thera py sometimes leads to false memories being implanted; (c) felt, to som e degree, that repressed memory evidence should be allowed in court; a nd (d) had experience with repressed memories, either personally or th rough media coverage. Also, the gender of the participants affected ma ny of the ratings (e.g., women had greater belief in and more personal experience with such memories than men). The implications of these re sults for professionals and laypeople are discussed.