Memory illusions and consciousness: Examining the phenomenology of true and false memories

Several recent false memory studies have addressed the question of how false memories are experienced phenomenologically. In this article we argue that it is not only possible to address questions of this sort, but it is necessary for a full understanding of memory illusions. We define memory illusions as false beliefs about the past that are experienced as memories. We then review a corpus of evidence that addresses the phenomenological experience of false memories. None of this evidence is perfect, but taken in its totality it suggests that false memories are similar to true memories but are also subtly different. We conclude with several recommendations for how the phenomenology of false memories can be fruitfully explored.     

The self in guidance: Assumptions and challenges

The assumptions of the self made in the professional and managerial discourses of guidance are examined. It is suggested that these assumptions obstruct the capacity of guidance workers to explain their own practices, mystifying the social, economic and cultural processes of which they are part. This is important for two reasons. First, unquestioned assumptions can result in claims for guidance being made which are misleading. Second, if those assumptions are part of the professional formation of guidance workers, there may well need to be changes made to training programmes. Drawing on contemporary debates over identity, modernity and postmodemity, the case is made for a more explicit and informed debate about the self in guidance     

Physiological reactivity to stressors in irritable bowel syndrome patients, inflammatory bowel disease patients and non-patient controls.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients were compared with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients and non-patient controls on four separate physiological measures (heart rate, finger-tip temperature, skin resistance level, and forehead EMG) for their physical reactivity to 'laboratory stressors'. It was predicted that the IBS patients would respond to these stressors with more physiological reactivity than the two other groups. There were initial basal differences among the groups on heart rate and finger-tip temperature: in general, the IBS patients had lower basal heart rates and the non-patient controls had lower finger-tip temperatures. These findings are contrary to the previous body of literature regarding possible sympathetic nervous system (SNS) arousal states in the IBS patient. The results also indicated IBS patients were not significantly different than the IBD patients or the non-patient controls in their reactivity to stressors. Previous literature has suggested that IBS in their reactivity to stressors. Previous literature has suggested that IBS patients have an enhanced SNS arousal or an SNS mediated reactivity to environmental stressors, our current study has not found these results.     

Sex and age differences in the sex-role stereotyping of third- and fifth-grade children

A four-part 85-item orally administered children's Sex-Role Expectations and Awareness Scale was developed. The four parts included measures of children's perceptions of (1) sex-associated behavior, (2) teacher expectations, (3) adult sex-role expectations, and (4) children's knowledge of the women's rights movement. The internally reliable scale was administered to 506 middle-class third- and fifth-grade children (259 females and 247 males) from eight schools in six states. Major results included the statistically significant findings that (1) although the absolute level of stereotyping was modest, males stereotyped significantly more often than females with regard to both male and female behavior traits and perceived teacher and adult sex-role expectation. (2) Third-grade students stereotyped more male behavior traits than fifth-grade students. (3) Females more often than males perceived teachers to expect traditional sex-role behavior from females. (4) Fifth-grade students knew more about the women's movement, but the absolute level of knowledge was quite low, with a comprehension rate around a third of the total number of items.     

Attributions About Rape: Effects of Rapist Force, Observer Sex and Sex Role Attitudes

The present study investigated subjects' perceptions of a hypothetical rape situation as a function of the amount of force used in the rape, sex of subject, and subjects' attitudes toward feminism. Two hundred thirty-two subjects (118 females, 114 males) were randomly assigned by sex to one of three force conditions. Consistent with expectation, subjects expressed greater certainty that a rape had actually occurred with increased force on the part of the assailant ( p <.001). A second hypothesis received partial support: Increasing force led to stronger attributions of rape on the part of traditional women, whereas liberal women tended to see the incident as rape at all force levels. A similar relationship did not emerge for men, however. As predicted, profeminist subjects implicated societal factors as causal in rape to a greater extent than did nonfeminists. Contrary to prediction, however, pro- and nonfeminists were not found to differ from each other in the degree of blame attributed to either the victim or the assailant. The findings support the general notion that one's gender and sex-role attitudes as well as the degree of force used by a rape assailant affect one's evaluation of this situation and the manner in which one attributes cause. Implications for rape prevention and victim reaction are discussed.     

Counselling and academic achievement

The possible relationship between emotional difficulty and under-achievement and wastage is examined. Psychometric data is presented from a recent longitudinal study on university students which suggests that psychological and academic difficulty may be different presentations of similar core problems. Particular attention is paid to the interaction between the individual and the institution, and clinical illustrations are provided. It is concluded that psychotherapy and counselling may be the appropriate response to a proportion of students in academic difficulty.