Use of Subjective Information in Scientific Psychology: II. Contextual Influences on Production of Early Recollections

Abstract

This investigation focused on whether selected elements of the context in which early recollections are collected can contaminate the recollections. The independent variables were examiner's style (warm or cold), presence or absence of the examiner, and order in which the examiner was present. 10 examiners collected six early memories from 60 subjects. Three raters evaluated the early memories on six scales; in addition, they established satisfactory rater reliability. Analysis of variance showed subjects with warm examiners produced significantly more solitary memories and less vivid ones. Theoretical and research implications were discussed.