Eyewitness memory

Abstract

Eyewitness testimony plays a crucial role in criminal and legal proceedings, but a well-established body of research demonstrates that it is unreliable. The extensively studied misinformation effect shows how post-event information can distort original memories, leading to false recollections of event details. The text explores theories such as source monitoring and fuzzy trace theory to explain this phenomenon. It also discusses the impact of retrieval enhanced susceptibility and the potential for misinformation to overwrite original details. Factors influencing perpetrator misidentifications are also examined, including estimator variables (i.e., factors related to the eyewitness) and system variables (i.e., factors related to the criminal justice system and its proceedings). Despite the limitations of experimental methods, opportunities for future research abound, including those that build upon novel approaches to understanding the confidence-accuracy relationship and the influence of fake news on memory. The constraints of eyewitness memory necessitate improved practices in the legal system, greater education about eyewitness memory issues, and recognition of both the value and risks associated with eyewitness testimony.