Assumptions of students and psychotherapists about memory.

The present study explored assumptions about memory in a Dutch sample consisting of 27 psychotherapists and 50 undergraduate students. Participants completed a questionnaire about memory and repression. Analysis indicated that a substantial proportion of the participants held assumptions about memory that are unrealistic in the sense that they do not meet a generally accepted standard among memory scientists. Although most respondents said that memory is not an accurate reflection of reality, metaphors provided by students and psychotherapists suggest that the reconstructive nature of memory was less well acknowledged.