CMH Forensic & Investigative Hypnosis 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the 'TV technique' used in forensic hypnosis?
- Using television footage to stimulate witness recall before induction
- Asking the subject to imagine watching the event on a TV screen to create emotional distance (Correct answer)
- Playing recordings of the crime during hypnosis to trigger memories
- Having the subject describe what they watched on TV the night of the crime
Correct answer: Asking the subject to imagine watching the event on a TV screen to create emotional distance
The TV technique asks subjects to mentally project the event onto an imagined television screen, reducing emotional distress while facilitating detailed recall.
Question 2: A forensic hypnotist is working with a crime victim who experienced acute stress during the incident. Stress most commonly affects memory by:
- Enhancing peripheral detail recall while narrowing central focus
- Improving overall accuracy due to heightened arousal
- Narrowing attention to the threat, potentially reducing peripheral detail recall (Correct answer)
- Having no measurable effect on memory encoding
Correct answer: Narrowing attention to the threat, potentially reducing peripheral detail recall
High stress often produces 'weapon focus' and tunnel vision, improving recall of the threat itself while diminishing memory of surrounding details.
Question 3: The 'revivification' approach in forensic hypnosis differs from 'hypermnesia' in that revivification:
- Focuses on recovering new memories not previously accessible
- Involves the subject re-experiencing the event as if present again, rather than simply recalling it (Correct answer)
- Uses deeper trance levels to access repressed trauma
- Relies on free-recall without structured questioning
Correct answer: Involves the subject re-experiencing the event as if present again, rather than simply recalling it
Revivification involves the subject mentally returning to and re-experiencing a past event, whereas hypermnesia refers to enhanced recall of memory content.
Question 4: When recording a forensic hypnosis session, best practice requires:
- Audio recording only, to avoid intimidating the subject
- Video recording of the entire session including pre- and post-hypnosis interviews (Correct answer)
- Recording only the hypnotic induction to protect confidentiality
- No recording to preserve the witness's privacy and cooperation
Correct answer: Video recording of the entire session including pre- and post-hypnosis interviews
Video recording the complete sessionâincluding pre- and post-hypnosis interviewsâdocuments the procedure and protects against claims of improper suggestion.
Question 5: A suspect (not a witness) requests hypnosis to 'prove' their innocence. The ethical forensic hypnotist should:
- Conduct the session to gather exculpatory evidence
- Decline, as hypnosis on suspects is generally contraindicated and legally problematic (Correct answer)
- Proceed only if law enforcement requests it in writing
- Use a lighter trance level to minimize legal risk
Correct answer: Decline, as hypnosis on suspects is generally contraindicated and legally problematic
Using hypnosis on suspects is ethically and legally problematic because it may compromise self-incrimination rights and produce unreliable confessions.
Question 6: The 'affect bridge' technique in forensic hypnosis is used to:
- Connect a witness emotionally to the hypnotist to increase suggestibility
- Help subjects trace a current feeling back to the original event where it was first experienced (Correct answer)
- Bridge the gap between conscious recall and unconscious memory stores
- Link multiple witnesses' accounts to construct a composite memory
Correct answer: Help subjects trace a current feeling back to the original event where it was first experienced
The affect bridge uses a current emotional state as a pathway to guide a subject back to the original event that produced that feeling.
Question 7: Which safeguard is most important when a law enforcement officer serves as both investigator and forensic hypnotist in the same case?
- Obtaining written consent from the district attorney
- Having a neutral third-party hypnotist conduct the session instead (Correct answer)
- Limiting questions to open-ended formats only
- Ensuring the session lasts no longer than 30 minutes
Correct answer: Having a neutral third-party hypnotist conduct the session instead
Role conflict between investigator and hypnotist creates bias risk; best practice requires a neutral, independent hypnotist with no stake in the investigation's outcome.
CMH Forensic & Investigative Hypnosis 3
Which of the following best describes the 'TV technique' used in forensic hypnosis?