Eyewitness testimonies have always been seen as strong incriminating evidence. Psychologists know that memory recall is not as seamless as playing back a movie. The memories are subject to unconscious modification. This makes eyewitness testimonies extremely unreliable, but unfortunately statistics show that these testimonies are often the strongest evidence in most convictions.
Another misconception is that accurate memories of childhood sexual abuse usually arise years later. Psychologists who thought memories could be recovered caused widespread satanic ritual abuse. A repression mechanism for such a phenomenon has yet to be discovered, so these accounts should be scrutinized carefully before given credibility. Amazingly, 68% of police officers believe in this myth.
Finally, we often think that people are lying if they offer a recollection of events that simply did not occur. In accordance with the same logic that makes eyewitness testimonies unreliable, memories often undergo unconscious modification. This means that someone's memories can change and the person might not even realize that he or she is giving a false rendition of reality.
Another misconception is that accurate memories of childhood sexual abuse usually arise years later. Psychologists who thought memories could be recovered caused widespread satanic ritual abuse. A repression mechanism for such a phenomenon has yet to be discovered, so these accounts should be scrutinized carefully before given credibility. Amazingly, 68% of police officers believe in this myth.
Finally, we often think that people are lying if they offer a recollection of events that simply did not occur. In accordance with the same logic that makes eyewitness testimonies unreliable, memories often undergo unconscious modification. This means that someone's memories can change and the person might not even realize that he or she is giving a false rendition of reality.