Critical review questions for Issue 9:

1. What is "Geraldoizing"? What is wrong with having the alleged victims of severe childhood trauma tell their stories on TV talk shows? How do such shows relate to the scientific validity of repressed memories? What brought about the reemergence of the trauma hypothesis in the 1970's? Were these scientific developments?
2. What do Benatar and Robbins report for the rate of incidence of childhood sexual abuse? What are their sources? What explanation is given for any discrepancies? What does Robbins conclude about all statistics on child sexual abuse?
3. What does Benatar say about the findings of Herman and Schatzow? What does Robbins say?
4. What is "traumatic memory"? What is the model of memory described by Robbins? How is this different from the one described by Benatar?
5. What is infantile amnesia? Traumatic amnesia? Are these well-documented (ie, scientifically established)? As described by Robbins, would either of these phenomena support the existence of repressed memories as described by Benatar?
6. How does Robbins define a false memory? Do these occur? Are they experienced differently than accurate memories?
7. According to Benatar, why did Janet accept and Freud ultimately reject the trauma hypothesis? How does Robbins respond to this?
8. According to Robbins, what is the source of professional knowledge about recovered memories? According to Robbins, why are some skeptical of claims of recovered memories? What does Benatar propose as the source of this skepticism?