Use of hypnosis to enhance eyewitness accuracy: Does it work?

Abstract

42 undergraduate eyewitnesses were asked to respond to a lineup recognition task and to a structured recall task. Relative to a normal-state control group composed of 45 Ss, Ss responding under the influence of hypnosis were significantly less accurate on both tasks. Heightened susceptibility to misleading implications was shown to be the major source of hypnotic inferiority. Neither hypnosis nor control groups revealed any relationship between confidence and accuracy. These results replicate and extend the findings of previous research. It is recommended that the use of hypnosis in criminal investigations be limited to eliciting testimony from witnesses with memory blocks and be used only as a last resort. (19 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)