Avoiding Mistakes in Reporting Research important, accurate and scientific

For several decades, there has been a controversy in science and pseudoscience due to lack of adequate data and explanatory theories.  According to Pope, reported memories are characterized with contradictory terms and concepts   and all this is contributed by amnesia, personality disorder, and retrieval inhibition among other terms (Pope, 1998). There are useful approaches to examine the information to understand whether it is accurate and scientific.  One way of examining the information is through the research basis. It is important to find the validity as well as the reliability of the information and consider whether it is supported by scientific research.  Accurate and scientific information should appear in peer-review journals and be acknowledged   in scientific community.  In reporting research, the major mistake which is made is illustrating both accurate and false recovered memories as repressed memories (Pope, 1998).  The term repressed memories does not lie on sound research as it lacks empirical basis.   When reporting research, writers often term the ‘recovered memories’ as ‘repressed memories’ and this creates confusion and oversimplification (Pope, 1998).  To avoid the mistake, writers should keep away from using unwarranted assumptions.  Rather than introducing a single mechanism for explaining experiences, they should search for that mechanism which will explain the memory loss or memory recovery of individuals.

The second way to determine the accuracy and importance of information is through Inferential Errors and Confirmation Bias (Pope, 1998). To get relevant information, it is important to consider the inferential errors through confirmation bias.  Note that beliefs and human reason affects the object evidence and sagacity. Due to the fact that beliefs and expectations affect the reporter’s information evaluation, it is important to rely on hypothesis and avoid the falsifying evidence.  The mistake which is done when reporting research is that when reporting abuse on recovered memories, they introduce confronting memories which cause harm to the people who need help and they also exploit their patients sexually (Pope, 1998).  Professionals use beliefs and expectations in reporting recovering memories.  They engage themselves in   rationalization and have diverted responsibility and thus they are unable to accept the harmful; behaviors.  To avoid the mistakes, therapists should avoid values and expectations that can interfere unfairly with experiential data.  They should seek for institute safeguards which will help them to identify such factors and possibility of inferential errors (Pope, 1998).  

As a psychologist, this knowledge is important in   understanding the psychology concepts.  It will help in understanding   the mechanism of recovered memories and its relation to traumatic events (Pope, 1998).  Having the knowledge, I will distinguish between true and false repressed memories.  I will be in position to identify the amnesia barrier and uncorroborated repressed memories.   The knowledge will help me to deal with patients and their personal truth through the use of techniques such as clarification, sympathy and more (Pope, 1998).

 

 

 

 

Reference

Pope S. Kenneth  (1998) Norwalk, CT. PSEUDOSCIENCE, CROSS-EXAMINATION, AND SCIENTIFIC

EVIDENCE IN THE RECOVERED MEMORY CONTROVERSY. Copyright 1998 by the American

Psychological Association, Inc.1076-8971/98/$3.00