Question

psychologist elizabeth loftus challenged the freudian premise that traumatic experiences are ____ defense mechanisms that render them inaccessible to conscious recall. her research demonstrated instead that such memories are often vividly retained—sometimes intrusively so, as in post - traumatic stress disorder—and that techniques purporting to recover buried memories frequently implant false ones.
3 mark for review
which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
a obscured by
b mediated by
c distorted by
d repressed by

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the context. Freud's theory about traumatic memories involves "repression" (keeping memories out of conscious recall via defense mechanisms). The text says Loftus challenged the idea that traumatic experiences are [blank] defense mechanisms (making them inaccessible).

• Option A: "obscured by" means hidden, but Freud's concept is about active repression, not just obscuring.
• Option B: "mediated by" implies the defense mechanisms act as a medium, which doesn't fit the idea of making memories inaccessible.
• Option C: "distorted by" means changed, but the focus is on inaccessibility, not distortion.
• Option D: "repressed by" matches Freud's theory of repression (defense mechanisms repress traumatic memories to make them inaccessible to conscious recall), and Loftus' research (showing memories are retained, not repressed) challenges this.

Answer:

D. repressed by