Question

Which of the seven memory errors presented by Schacter have you committed? Provide an example of each one.

Jurors place a lot of weight on eyewitness testimony. Imagine you are an attorney representing a defendant who is accused of robbing a convenience store. Several eyewitnesses have been called to testify against your client. What would you tell the jurors about the reliability of eyewitness testimony?

Answer 1

I have committed almost two or Schacter memory errors . Let us discuss them one by one

• Absentmindedness- As we know this arises when the memory and attention gets in conflict . This has happened with me when I missed a lecture because at the time the teacher was telling me that there is a lecture scheduled for tomorrow. My attention was somewhere else. I was thinking about something else .
• Persistence - I have experienced persistence also .When i suffered an injury it was a traumatic experience . I failed to stop the recall of the injury situation which induced a phobia inside me of jumping in the badminton court . This unwanted recall happens many times .

I will tell the Jurors that the eyewitness memory cannot be reliable as it can get influenced by many factors I will explain the factors to them THe factors are

• Stress or anxiety
• Reconstructive memory
• Focus on other things such as weapons

Eyewitness memory can be influenced by the amount of stress the individual faces during the time of crime as it can hamper our thinking and analyzing capabilities . Similarly schemas and biases can also affect our memory . LAck of focus at the time of crime also results in poor eyewitness testimony .