Posted by lurker on February 26, 1999 at 11:22:48:
...just published in "Ethics & Behavior", 9 (1), 39-50 and 61-68, 1999
"Lost in a shopping mall"- a breach of professional ethics. by Crook & Dean.
Loftus responds.
The "lost in a shopping mall" study has been cited to support claims that
psychotherapists can implant memories of false autobiographical information
of childhood trauma in their patients. The mall study originated in 1991 as
5 pilot experiments involving 3 children and 2 adult participants. The
University of Washington Human Subjects Committee granted approval for the
mall study on August 10, 1992. The preliminary results with the 5 pilot
subjects were announced 4 days later. An analysis of the mall study shows
that beyond the external misrepresentations, internal scientific
methodological errors cast doubt on the validity of the claims that have
been attributed to the mall study within scholarly and legal arenas. The
minimal involvement-- or, in some cases, negative impact -- of collegial
consultation, academic supervision, and peer review throughout the
evolution of the mall study are reviewed.