How Psychological Research into False Memories Has Improved the Reliability of Eyewitness Testimony - Essay Example

?Discuss how psychological research into false memories has improved the reliability of eyewitness testimony The developments in the cognitive neuropsychology of false memories have great implications within forensic psychology, especially in connection with the reliability of eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness testimony, which is based on visual perception, is commonly regarded as very reliable and valuable in courts. Although here have been serious debates within legal psychology regarding the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness identification, several judges seem to disregard the dangers of eyewitness identification. The most important variables in eyewitness identification include perception, memory, communication and candour of the eyewitness. However, it has been a tough job for even trained observers to make accurate identification of the eyewitness. In this background, research in cognitive psychology on the subject of false memories proves to be greatly invaluable and such studies influence the reliability of eyewitness testimony immensely. As Daniel L. Schacter purports, experimental and theoretical studies of memory reveal that errors, distortions, and illusions are fundamental aspects of remembering and recollection. For the last two decades, there has been renewed interest in memory errors and distortions within psychotherapy and neuropsychology. “It is in the context of this debate that the term ‘false memory’ has come into common usage in psychological research. False memories refer to recollections that are in some way distorted or, in extreme cases, involve remembering events that never happened at all.” (Schacter, 1999, p. 193). Therefore, psychological research into false memories can greatly contribute to the reliability of eyewitness testimony and this paper makes a reflective exploration of how such examinations can improve the reliability of eyewitness testimony. In a profound investigation of the current psychological research into false memories, it becomes lucid that memory researchers in the modern world have been raising doubts about the reliability of eyewitness testimony which is based on memories. In fact, there have serious debates on the reliability of recovered implicit memories of trauma and the studies in the field indicate that false memories can be developed in several ways. The findings in the recent studies on the development of false memories prove that benign memories can be distorted in various ways during the process of encoding and retrieval. As Rowland W. Folensbee maintains, “research into false memories does not call into question the existence of memory processes that could maintain implicit traumatic memories. In fact, recent neuroimaging research offers support for the existence of flashbacks that not connected to explicit memory processes. (Folensbee, 2007, p. 119). Therefore, the recent studies on the process of recovering implicit memories have introduced a new way of understanding the working of false memories and these researches contribute to the comprehension of the fundamental aspects of memory. It is fundamental to realize that the cognitive psychologists have identified the occurrence of false memories and the recent experimental research in the area contributes to a better analysis of false memories. The significant connection between the recent psychological research into false memories and the reliability of eyewitness testimony cannot be questioned, because the developments in this area of neuropsychological research have contributed to the reliability of eyewitness testimony. One of the core aspects of the judicial process has been the reliability of eyewitness testimony and every attempt to improve its validity has great implications in legal psychology. According to Tversky and Fisher, it is fundamental for the participants in the judicial process to recognize the fallibility of witness memories. (Tversky and Fisher, 2000). The recent studies in neuropsychology concerning human memory focus on the susceptibility of the subjects to mistakenly consider events and details which may not have actually occurred. Thus, “courts, lawyers and police officers are now aware of the ability of third parties to introduce false memories to witnesses. For this reason, lawyers closely question witnesses regarding the accuracy of their memories and about any possible ‘assistance’ from others in the formation of their present memories.” (Tversky and Fisher, 2000). Therefore, it is essential to comprehend that the current psychological research into false memories can improve the reliability of the entire judicial process concerning eyewitness testimony. Psychological researches carried out by recent groundbreaking theorists such as Elizabeth Loftus, whose studies focused on traumatically repressed memories, eyewitness memory, and false memories, have contributed to the reliability of eyewitness testimony. According to these memory researchers, it is possible for the eyewitness testimony to be flawed, and these findings ultimately improve the reliability of eyewitness testimony used in judicial processes. “Loftus describes how a misinformation effect may lead to distortions in eyewitness testimony. The distortions are caused by events that occur in the interval between the witnessed event and recall of that event.” (Nevid, 2008, p. 222). Thus, there is a strong view among the psychological researchers that the reliability of eyewitness testimony can questioned on the basis of false memories. However, these research findings eventually help the judicial process in realizing the reality of eyewitness testimony, thus contributing to the reliability of the same. In a careful analysis of the research into the reliability of witness testimony, which has the longest history in psychological research relating to law, one realizes that the recent studies on the occurrence of false memories are greatly important in making a judicious understanding of the reliability of witness testimony. The unprecedented interest in the recent psychological research on the accuracy and distortion in memory has bought about some pertinent findings on the occurrence of false memory. In the background of the general practice in the judiciary to place a great deal of emphasis on the eyewitness testimony, the implications of researches into the false memory are even more obvious. “Cognitive neuropsychologists, like cognitive psychologists, have long been aware of, and interested in, the occurrence of false memories… During the past few years, there has been a marked increase in experimental research and theorising concerning the cognitive neuropsychology of false memories. New methods for systematically eliciting and analysing confabulation have been developed….” (Schacter, 1999, p. 193). Similarly, the recent psychological research into the analysis of false memory has incorporated electrophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. These developments in psychological research concerning the occurrence of memory distortions and false memory have contributed to the better understanding of eyewitness testimony. In short, psychological research into false memories can greatly improve the reliability of eyewitness testimony. References Folensbee, Rowland W. (2007). The Neuroscience of Psychological Therapies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 119. Nevid, Jeffrey S. (2008). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Cengage Learning. p. 222. Schacter, Daniel L. (1999). The Cognitive Neuropsychology of False Memories. London: Psychology Press. p. 193. Tversky, Barbara and Fisher, George. (2000). “The Problem with Eyewitness Testimony.” Stanford Journal of Legal Studies. Retrieved 15 January 2011, from http://agora.stanford.edu/sjls/Issue%20One/fisher&tversky.htm Read More