THE controversial topic of recovered childhood memories is being put under the microscope. Researchers at Royal Holloway and Bedford College of Higher Education have studied the case histories of 690 adults, each of whom had undergone therapy and recovered childhood experiences. The research, led by Bernice Andrews, challenges the widely held view that a majority of memories of childhood trauma are triggered by the use of memory recovery techniques. Researchers report that in only 22 per cent of cases were such techniques used before the first memory was recovered.