Harald Merckelbach
Biographic Data
| ID | 789161 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Harald Merckelbach |
| GIVEN NAMES | Harald |
| FAMILY NAME | Merckelbach |
| SIGNATURE | MERCKELBACH H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Maastricht University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-5116-7826 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 39 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 39 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1987 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Psychological assessment in legal contexts: A survey of Indonesian psychologists
To add to a growing body of descriptive research on psychological assessment practices in various countries with different legal systems and standards, this study examined how Indonesian psychologists work as experts in legal cases and conduct forensic evaluations. A survey was conducted among Indonesian Forensic Psychology Association (APSIFOR) members, specifically those with experiences as experts in legal cases. We queried the experiences of …
The prevalence of feigning and concealment of Covid-19 infections in an international sample
We asked 463 participants from 21 countries whether they had feigned and/or concealed having a coronavirus infection during the pandemic period. 384 respondents (83%) reported having experienced a coronavirus infection. They were, on average, younger and reported more chronic health issues than participants who said they had never been infected. 65 (14%) admitted to having feigned the infection. Prevalence doubled (28%) when asked if they knew an…
Can false denials turn fact into fiction? The effect of false denials on memory for self-performed actions
We examined the mnemonic effects of falsely denying a self-performed action. Specifically, participants ( N = 30) performed, imagined, or received no instruction about 24 action statements (e.g., “cross your arms”). Next, their memory for whether they had performed, imagined, or did nothing (i.e., received no instructions) with these actions was tested. Subsequently, participants were instructed to repeatedly deny an action they had performed (fa…
Likelihood ratios in psychological expert opinion, and their reception by professional judges
In various countries, forensic scientists have begun to express their expert opinion in terms of the likelihood of observing the evidence under the primary and under an alternative hypothesis (i.e. the likelihood-ratio approach). This development is often confined to technical domains such as fingerprint analyses. In forensic psychological expertise, likelihood ratios are largely absent. In this contribution, we explain how forensic psychologists…
Belief in Unconscious Repressed Memory Persists
On the basis of converging research, we concluded that the controversial topic of unconscious blockage of psychological trauma (i.e., repressed memory) remains very much alive in clinical, legal, and academic contexts. In his commentary, Brewin (this issue, p. 443) conducted a cocitation analysis and concluded that scholars do not adhere to the concept of unconscious repression. Furthermore, he argued that previous survey research did not specifi…
Memory and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: A potentially risky combination in the courtroom
Does Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy affect the accuracy of memories? This recurrent issue in recent memory research bears relevance to expert witness work in the courtroom. In this review, we will argue that several crucial aspects of EMDR may be detrimental to memory. First, research has shown that eye movements undermine the quality and quantity of memory. Specifically, eye movements have been shown to decrease…
Fantasy Proneness Correlates With the Intensity of Near-Death Experience
Little is known about the personality characteristics of those who have experienced a "Near-Death Experience" (NDE). One interesting candidate is fantasy proneness. We studied this trait in individuals who developed NDEs in the presence (i.e., classical NDEs) or absence (i.e., NDEs-like) of a life-threatening situation. We surveyed a total of 228 individuals. From those, 108 qualified as NDE experiencers (i.e., Greyson NDE scale total score ≥7): …
The Malevolent Side of Human Nature: A Meta-Analysis and Critical Review of the Literature on the Dark Triad (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy)
The term dark triad refers to the constellation of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Over the past few years, the concept has gained momentum, with many researchers assuming that the dark triad is a prominent antecedent of transgressive and norm-violating behavior. Our purpose in this meta-analytic review was to evaluate (a) interrelations among narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy; (b) gender differences in these traits; (c…
Symptom overreporting and dissociative experiences: A qualitative review
A Multilab Preregistered Replication of the Ego-Depletion Effect
Good self-control has been linked to adaptive outcomes such as better health, cohesive personal relationships, success in the workplace and at school, and less susceptibility to crime and addictions. In contrast, self-control failure is linked to maladaptive outcomes. Understanding the mechanisms by which self-control predicts behavior may assist in promoting better regulation and outcomes. A popular approach to understanding self-control is the …
On the alleged memory-undermining effects of daydreaming
These two are different. Yes, they’re the same: Choice blindness for facial identity
What if you went to the police and accused your uncle of abuse? Misunderstandings concerning the benefits of memory distortion: A commentary on Fernández (2015)
The trauma model of dissociation: Inconvenient truths and stubborn fictions. Comment on Dalenberg et al. (2012)
Dalenberg et al. (2012) argued that convincing evidence (a) supports the longstanding trauma model (TM), which posits that early trauma plays a key role in the genesis of dissociation; and (b) refutes the fantasy model (FM), which posits that fantasy proneness, suggestibility, cognitive failures, and other variables foster dissociation. We review evidence bearing on Dalenberg et al.'s 8 predictions and find them largely wanting in empirical suppo…
Self-Reported Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and How They Relate to Cognitive Failures and Fantasy Proneness
Sleep disturbances, fantasy proneness, cognitive failures, and dissociative symptoms are related to each other. However, the co-occurrence of these phenomena has been primarily studied in non-clinical samples. We investigated the correlations between these phenomena in dissociative identity disorder (DID) patients, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, and healthy controls. Both patient groups reported more sleep problems and lower slee…
The classification of recovered memories: A cautionary note
Underestimation of prior remembering and susceptibility to false memories: Two sides of the same coin
Children’s suggestion-induced omission errors are not caused by memory erasure
Cognitive processes, trauma, and dissociation—Misconceptions and misrepresentations: Reply to Bremner (2010)
research literature on cognitive processes in dissociation. In a comment, Bremner (2010) has voiced reservations about our contention that evidence for the causal role of trauma in dissociation is limited. In this reply, we argue that Bremner’s arguments are unconvincing and that a closer examination of the dissociation literature only strengthens the basis for our conclusions. Specifically, we show that disso-ciation exhibits a robust associatio…
Cognitive processes in dissociation: An analysis of core theoretical assumptions
Dissociation is typically defined as the lack of normal integration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences into consciousness and memory. The present article critically evaluates the research literature on cognitive processes in dissociation. The authors' review indicates that dissociation is characterized by subtle deficits in neuropsychological performance (e.g., heightened distractibility). Some of the cognitive phenomena (e.g., weakened cogni…
The false fame illusion in people with memories about a previous life
False claims about false memory research
Traumatic memories of war veterans: Not so special after all
Overcoming ego depletion: The influence of exemplar priming on self‐control performance
Self‐regulation research suggested that active self‐control depends on a limited resource. Therefore the capacity for self‐control is lower among people who already exercised control, a phenomenon labelled as ego depletion. This experiment examines whether priming of a persistent person exemplar may help to overcome ego depletion. Half of the participants engaged in a demanding self‐control task (solving extremely difficult labyrinths) whereas th…
Fantasy proneness, but not self-reported trauma is related to DRM performance of women reporting recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse
Overcoming ego depletion: The influence of exemplar priming on self‐control performance
Self‐regulation research suggested that active self‐control depends on a limited resource. Therefore the capacity for self‐control is lower among people who already exercised control, a phenomenon labelled as ego depletion. This experiment examines whether priming of a persistent person exemplar may help to overcome ego depletion. Half of the participants engaged in a demanding self‐control task (solving extremely difficult labyrinths) whereas th…
Cognitive processes in dissociation: An analysis of core theoretical assumptions
Dissociation is typically defined as the lack of normal integration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences into consciousness and memory. The present article critically evaluates the research literature on cognitive processes in dissociation. The authors' review indicates that dissociation is characterized by subtle deficits in neuropsychological performance (e.g., heightened distractibility). Some of the cognitive phenomena (e.g., weakened cogni…
Fear of Animals: Correlations between Fear Ratings and Perceived Characteristics
Seligman (1971) proposed that, as a result of evolutionary processes, there is a genetic predisposition or preparedness to fear certain animals (e.g., snakes and spiders). Experimental and clinical studies have confirmed the notion of prepared fears of animals. Do prepared fears pertain to complete memory representations of these animals or are they related to specific, salient qualities that subjects attribute to these animals? A questionnaire d…
Covariation bias, classical conditioning, and phobic fear
Knowledge of Basic Emotions in Adolescent and Adult Individuals with Autism
An experiment was carried out in which 30 adolescent and adult patients with autism and 30 age- and IQ-matched Down syndrome patients were instructed to choose one of the chocolates that were hanging near four pictures displaying facial expressions of basic emotions (fear, anger, happiness, and sadness). As predicted, most of the Down syndrome patients took the chocolate near the happy face picture. Unexpectedly, however, autistic patients made m…
The Relationship Between Anxiety Disorder Symptoms and Negative Self-Statements in Normal Children
The current study examined the relationship between anxiety disorder symptoms and negative self-statements in a sample of normal children ( N =119). Children were asked to complete the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) and the Negative Affect Self-Statement Questionnaire (NASSQ). Results showed that, in normal children, there is a positive relationship between anxiety disorder symptoms, as indexed by the SCARED, and ne…
The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (Gss): Further Data on Its Reliability, Validity, and Metacognition Correlates
This article presents two studies in which the psychometric properties and validity of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS) were further investigated. Results of the first study ( N = 40) indicate that the GSS has reasonable internal consistency. Additionally, a modest, but significant test-retest stability was found for the GSS. As to the association between suggestibility and self-reported cognitive efficiency (i.e., metacognition measures…
Assumptions of Students and Psychotherapists about Memory
The present study explored assumptions about memory in a Dutch sample consisting of 27 psychotherapists and 50 undergraduate students. Participants completed a questionnaire about memory and repression. Analysis indicated that a substantial proportion of the participants held assumptions about memory that are unrealistic in the sense that they do not meet a generally accepted standard among memory scientists. Although most respondents said that m…
Difficulties in the Understanding of False Belief: Specific to Autism and other Pervasive Developmental Disorders
The present study examined the performance on a false belief task of atypical autistic children, i.e., children with a pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (n = 50), socially immature children (n = 50), and normal children (n = 50). Children were shown a chocolate box and its unexpected content, i.e., a pencil, and then required to indicate what a friend would say about the content of the box. Results can be summarized: (1) ov…
The staff observation aggression scale-revised (Soas-R)
Proper assessment of aggressive behavior is essential for an understanding of its causes. In 1987, Palmstierna and Wistedt [Acta Psychiatr Scand 76:657-663] introduced the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS), an instrument for monitoring the frequency, nature, and severity of aggressive incidents. In the present study, the validity of the SOAS severity scoring system was examined, and the severity scores were refined. The SOAS was used to r…
The staff observation aggression scale–revised (Soas-R)
Proper assessment of aggressive behavior is essential for an understanding of its causes. In 1987, Palmstierna and Wistedt [Acta Psychiatr Scand 76:657-663] introduced the Staff Observation Aggression Scale (SOAS), an instrument for monitoring the frequency, nature, and severity of aggressive incidents. In the present study, the validity of the SOAS severity scoring system was examined, and the severity scores were refined. The SOAS was used to r…
Associations of Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders and Self-Reported Behavior Problems in Normal Children
61 children, aged between 14 and 18 years, completed the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders, a scale of anxiety disorders symptoms, and the Youth Self-report, a measure of internalizing, i.e., emotional, and externalizing, i.e., behavioral, problems. Analysis showed that, with the exception of the Social Phobia and the Specific Phobia subscales, Screen total and subscale scores were significantly related to Internalizing problem…
Self-Reported Automaticity and Irrationality in Spider Phobia
Spider phobic women (n = 39) and nonfearful controls (n = 41) completed a 20-item questionnaire measuring the extent to which they experience their fear reactions to spiders as automatic and irrational. For the phobic sample, therapy outcome data were also collected. Results suggest that spider phobics tend to view their attitude to spiders as irrational and in this respect, they do not differ from control subjects. Furthermore, compared to contr…
Aggression and Threat Perception Abnormalities in Children with Learning and Behavior Problems
The Guilty Knowledge Test and the Modified Stroop Task in Detection of Deception: An Exploratory Study
The current study tested whether a simple Stroop paradigm can be used to detect deceptive behavior. 40 university students (34 women), half of whom committed a mock crime, were administered a Guilty Knowledge Test and modified Stroop task to detect guilt or innocence. The Guilty Knowledge Test is a well-known psychophysiological detection method, which consists of multiple-choice questions about details of the crime while skin conductance is reco…
Correlates of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale in Delinquent Adolescents
Correlations between scores on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale and a number of relevant personality characteristics, i.e., intelligence, memory, social inadequacy, social desirability, and fantasy proneness, were examined in a sample of 71 delinquent boys. Analysis showed that intelligence and memory were negatively related to suggestibility scores. That is, lower memory and intelligence were associated with higher suggestibility. No signific…
Fantasy proneness, but not self-reported trauma is related to DRM performance of women reporting recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse
The false fame illusion in people with memories about a previous life
False claims about false memory research
Traumatic memories of war veterans: Not so special after all
Overcoming ego depletion: The influence of exemplar priming on self‐control performance
Self‐regulation research suggested that active self‐control depends on a limited resource. Therefore the capacity for self‐control is lower among people who already exercised control, a phenomenon labelled as ego depletion. This experiment examines whether priming of a persistent person exemplar may help to overcome ego depletion. Half of the participants engaged in a demanding self‐control task (solving extremely difficult labyrinths) whereas th…
Cognitive processes in dissociation: An analysis of core theoretical assumptions
Dissociation is typically defined as the lack of normal integration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences into consciousness and memory. The present article critically evaluates the research literature on cognitive processes in dissociation. The authors' review indicates that dissociation is characterized by subtle deficits in neuropsychological performance (e.g., heightened distractibility). Some of the cognitive phenomena (e.g., weakened cogni…
Children’s suggestion-induced omission errors are not caused by memory erasure
Cognitive processes, trauma, and dissociation—Misconceptions and misrepresentations: Reply to Bremner (2010)
research literature on cognitive processes in dissociation. In a comment, Bremner (2010) has voiced reservations about our contention that evidence for the causal role of trauma in dissociation is limited. In this reply, we argue that Bremner’s arguments are unconvincing and that a closer examination of the dissociation literature only strengthens the basis for our conclusions. Specifically, we show that disso-ciation exhibits a robust associatio…
Underestimation of prior remembering and susceptibility to false memories: Two sides of the same coin
The classification of recovered memories: A cautionary note
The trauma model of dissociation: Inconvenient truths and stubborn fictions. Comment on Dalenberg et al. (2012)
Dalenberg et al. (2012) argued that convincing evidence (a) supports the longstanding trauma model (TM), which posits that early trauma plays a key role in the genesis of dissociation; and (b) refutes the fantasy model (FM), which posits that fantasy proneness, suggestibility, cognitive failures, and other variables foster dissociation. We review evidence bearing on Dalenberg et al.'s 8 predictions and find them largely wanting in empirical suppo…
Psychology (38 works) · Cognitive psychology (25 works) · Clinical Psychology (18 works) · Social Psychology (18 works) · Developmental psychology (17 works) · Psychiatry (14 works) · Cognition (12 works) · Deception detection and forensic psychology (11 works) · Memory Processes and Influences (10 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works)