In the Chowchilla, California kidnapping case, school children were kidnapped at gunpoint and buried for 16 hours before escaping. Several years after the event, a child psychiatrist interviewed the children. She reported that
A) virtually all of the children remembered the exact details of the chilling episode.
B) fewer than half of the children remembered any of the details of the chilling episode.
C) half of the children had notable errors and distortions in their memories of the episode.
D) most children had notable errors and distortions in their memories of the episode.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Half of the children had notable errors and distortions in their memories of the episode. This is based on the report from a child psychiatrist who interviewed the children several years after the event. The study suggests that even traumatic events can result in memory errors and distortions.

In the Chowchilla, California Kidnapping Case, School Children Were Kidnapped