Psychiatrymiddle twist
A medical student takes an alcohol history from a 55-year-old man in a general practice clinic. In a rapid run, without pausing, she asks: 'You don't drink much, do you? Just socially? And no blackouts or anything like that?' He replies, 'No, nothing like that,' and the consultation moves on. Two weeks later he is admitted tremulous and sweating, 30 hours after his last drink, and reports drinking a bottle of spirits most days. Which one of the following faults in her technique best explains the false account she obtained?