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Unit 7: Eyewitness Testimony & Memory Biases - Coggle Diagram
Unit 7: Eyewitness Testimony & Memory Biases
Technical Ideas
The Problem with Eyewitnesses
Memory is not like a video recording - it's more like a Wikipedia page that gets altered along the way.
Even solid witnesses can get it wrong (30-75% misidentification rates in lineups based on studies)
Stress, weapons, or cross-racial IDs make errors more likely.
How Memories Get Distorted
Misinformation Effect
Such as "telephone" - memories get altered when individuals discuss them later.
Leading questions ("Did you see the broken light?") plant distortions.
False Memories:
People can have very clear memories of whole events that in fact did not take place (e.g., being lost as a kid in a shopping center).
Clinicians/lawyers can induce them by employing leading techniques.
Repairing the System
Enhanced Lineups:
Display images one by one (sequential) instead of simultaneously.
Use "double-blind" methods where the cop has no idea who the suspect is.
Jury Education:
Educate that confidence ≠ accuracy of the witness.
Explain how memory actually functions.
Real-World Consequences
75% of DNA exoneration cases had false eyewitness IDs.
The Ronald Cotton case: Spent 11 years incarcerated because a victim was 100% mistaken.
Personal Reflections
The Problem with Eyewitnesses
I thought eyewitnesses were the gold standard - now I see why courts also need DNA/other evidence.
After learning about cross-racial ID, I did not precisely describe the Black cashier who helped me (I'm Asian). I now deliberately remember one distinguishing feature per interaction.
How Memories Get Distorted
Aww, man! That false memory test totally freaked me out! Do I have 'memories' that don't exist?
I accused my brother of eating my leftovers 'last night'—security cameras confirmed it was 3 days earlier. Now I date-stamp my fridge claims
I 'recall' childhood trauma regarding the death of a hamster. My mom insisted we never had one. Was it from a storybook? I maintain a memory journal now.
Repairing the System
Lineups in order just makes sense - why aren't police departments all over the world doing it?!?!
Real-World Consequences
That 44-year-old wrongful conviction case makes me so outraged. We need these reforms NOW.