MEMORY DISTORTION AND SEXUAL TRAUMA - THE PROBLEM OF FALSE NEGATIVES AND FALSE POSITIVES

Logically, two broad types of mnemonic errors are possible when adult psychotherapy or hypnosis patients reflect on whether they were sexual ly abused or not as a child. They may believe that they were not abuse d when in fact they were (false negative error), or they may believe t hey were abused when in fact they were not (false positive error). The author briefly reviews the empirical evidence for the occurrence of e ach of these types of errors, and illustrates each with a clinical cas e. Further, in considering the incidence, importance, and clinical imp lications of these errors, the author contends that clinical efficacy in no way assures that a false negative or a false positive has been a voided. A plea is made for theorists and researchers to acknowledge th at both categories of errors can occur and to conduct future clinical and laboratory research accordingly.