Final answer:
The statement that recovered memories discovered outside therapy are more accurate than those discovered in therapy is false. The accuracy of recovered memories is a highly debated topic, and both therapy and external influences can lead to the creation of false memories.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that 'recovered memories discovered outside therapy are more accurate than those discovered in therapy' is false. The phenomenon of repressed and recovered memories, especially around traumatic events like childhood abuse, has been a contentious topic in psychology. Freud initially suggested that traumatic memories could be repressed, while modern researchers like Elizabeth Loftus have demonstrated through the misinformation effect paradigm that memories can be altered or fabricated based on suggestions or leading questions.
Recovered memories in therapy, especially when methods such as hypnosis, guided visualization, or age regression are used, can be influenced by these same misinformation effects. Loftus' research highlights that even minor suggestions by a therapist can lead to the creation of false memories, aka false memory syndrome, questioning the accuracy of these recovered memories. Outside of therapy, memories can also be influenced by external information, so the context in which a memory is recovered does not necessarily guarantee its accuracy.