Creating, Sustaining & Evaluating Memories (Discussion question) - Coursework Example

Constructed Memories: with an Example of Childhood event Constructed Memories: with an Example of Childhood event Memoirs have been relied on for evidence in courtrooms for long. The law community has acknowledged the fact that reconstructed memories can result in a wrongful conviction, but the defense do not often successfully counter witnesses on grounds that the evidence they are giving is based on constructed memory. During childhood, the encoding and retrieval of memories are not optimal, and reconstruction is easy and in most cases permanent (Howe, 2013)No one likes talking about unfortunate events in life.

There is little interest in some activities, and few people will take time to retell the story because it may relate to anything of interest to them. My childhood memories that I feel unconstructed revolve around the passing of one of our neighbors. I was probably eight years. MS Livingstone, as I can remember, was a joyful woman who liked lifting my younger sister whenever she visits us. She had dark skin. Most of the details of how she looked like have been lost over time. Every time I try to remember her I only recall her lifting my younger sister making a funny sound and the morning I woke up to an empty house and three police vehicles packed at her compound.

I had not known much about her life or who she was living with. Ate her body was taken away, we were introduced to a man who a son almost my age that we were had told he was Livingston’s grandson.I fail to remember much about my childhood, but I recall that Livingstone had a family and lived with them until the day of her demise, and is possibly drilled into my memories through stories. Proofing to a jury in a court of law that memories of a witness have been fabricated and cannot be reeled alone is a very difficult thing to do.

The jury cannot doubt a witness without a good reason to. To prove the possibility that the witness memories are constructed, I will look at a minor irrelevant event in the witness’ life and the facts. I will then ask the witness of what her/she embers of that event. Any different story apart from the truth will be the grounds to push for the rejection of such evidence.ReferenceHowe, M. L., & Conway, M. A. (2013). Memory and the law: Insights from case studies. Memory, 21(5), 545-546.