what is eyewitness testimony?

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can you tell me a little bit about eyewitness testimony. also could you tell me a bit about reconstructive memory.

-- Amneet (Amneet_17@hotmail.com), October 21, 2002

Answers

The idea is that memory is not a simple recording of events seen, heard, etc. People try to make a story out of what they see, and sometimes add details (which they often later believe they have actually experienced) in order forthe memory to "make sense." Have a look at Elizabeth Loftus' website, which has several of her articles on the subject: http://faculty.washington.edu/eloftus/ . There is also a PBS interview with her at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/dna/interviews/loftus.ht ml

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), October 21, 2002.

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