Using the GCU library, search for two peer-reviewed journal articles on eyewitness testimony using the search term “memory and eyewitness testimony.” Read the articles, then in 750-1,000 words, do the following:

1. Briefly summarize the findings from each article.
2. Based upon the information read, discuss if eyewitness testimony is reliable or unreliable.

Connect your research to a memory theory discussed in Chapter 7 of your textbook.

When writing in APA style, it is important that your analysis is written in third person. Writing in third person, using support from the article to support your position, helps with clarity and conciseness throughout your paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.

PSY 102 Applying Psychology to Everyday Life: A Reflection

Reflect on the topics covered in this class so far and write a reflection that ties back to the material you have learned, which describes how these topics relate to different aspects of your life. In 750-1,000 words, consider the following:

1. Describe how you will use psychology in your personal life.
2. Describe how you will use psychology in your professional life.
3. Describe how you will use psychology in your academic careers.
4. Explain any overlap in any of the characteristics, including anything that applies to all three areas.

Use two to three scholarly resources to support your explanations. The textbook and other relevant resources should be cited when describing topics from the semester and how they apply to personal, professional, and academic careers.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Memory and eyewitness testimony

Introduction

Eyewitness testimony is a powerful form of evidence, but its accuracy is often disputed. Different factors can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, leading to false memories. The theory of reconstructive memory says that our memories are always influenced by how we interpret input. Memory distortion and false memories can be caused by suggestion

Eyewitness testimony can be powerful evidence in criminal trials, but its accuracy is often disputed.

 

The more confident an eyewitness is, the more likely they are to be accurate. So, if you want someone with a good memory and lots of experience giving their version of events, then you want them to testify as witnesses (or at least give written statements). The problem is that there are many factors that can affect their ability to remember things accurately:

• The amount of time since an event took place

• Their level of fatigue or stress at the time it happened

• How much alcohol they had consumed before testifying

Different factors can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony, leading to false memories.

When you’re recalling an event, there are a few things that can affect the accuracy of your memory. The more time between when the event occurred and when you recall it, the less accurate your memory will be. This is because if we have to wait longer than a few days or weeks before we think about something again (like in legal cases), our brains tend to forget details and generalizations that were once relevant.

The second factor affecting eyewitness testimony is information: if witnesses receive more information regarding their memories after they’ve been interviewed by police officers or lawyers, they may start putting more into what they’re saying than what actually happened at all. For example: If a man says he saw someone running away from him with two dogs chasing after them (one large one and one small one), but later learns that there were only three dogs present during this encounter—and those three included two Chihuahuas—he’s probably going to wonder if maybe there was another person involved besides himself who might have been responsible for all those extra canine companionship sessions!

The third thing affecting eyewitness testimony involves how emotional an incident is: most people feel emotions when experiencing events like crime scenes where violence has occurred; however these same emotions can cause us make mistakes in our recollections too unless we keep them separate from each other by keeping track of everything objectively through research instead!

The theory of reconstructive memory says that our memories are always influenced by how we interpret input.

The theory of reconstructive memory says that our memories are always influenced by how we interpret input. We tend to fill in gaps in our memories with information from other sources, and we also tend to remember things more positively than they actually were.

This means that if you ask someone whether they had a good vacation, they may not be able to accurately recall details about all aspects of the trip—they might get something wrong or forget something important or have trouble agreeing on specifics—but overall they’ll probably feel that it was a good time because it felt like one when they were there.

Memory distortion and false memories can be caused by suggestion.

Memory distortion and false memories can be caused by suggestion. Suggestion is when someone’s memory is influenced by what they are told or what they read. It comes in many forms, and it’s easy to see how these kinds of suggestions can play a role in the formation of false memories.

• Unintentional: For example, if you tell someone that a memory was created recently (e.g., “I remember I met my parents last week”), this could lead them to believe that the event happened recently (even though it might have been recorded several years ago).

• Intentional: An example would be asking someone who has seen an image from childhood about whether or not they remembered seeing it as a child—and then using that information during an interview session with other witnesses who claim also remembering seeing something different from each other but having never actually seen anything before now!

Memory distortion is a form of retroactive interference in which people recall a memory based on more recent information they have learned or experienced.

Memory distortion is a form of retroactive interference in which people recall a memory based on more recent information they have learned or experienced. Retroactive interference can occur when new information creates an old memory, and the new information can be a suggestion, or something you have learned later on.

Retroactive interference may cause false memories to form after it has been suggested that there was no time gap between learning and recalling the event being described.

Many factors can influence the accuracy of memory and lead to false memories being created.

Many factors can influence the accuracy of memory and lead to false memories being created.

• Suggestion: If you’re told something over and over again, your mind will start to fill in details based on what it has been told. This is called suggestion, or the creation of false memories by suggestion. For example, if a person is repeatedly asked how much money they have in their wallet but does not actually look at it often enough to know exactly how much is in there at any given time (for example), eventually they might “remember” having put $50 there when really only $20 was left—but because they’ve been reminded several times that they had $50 (or even $30), this becomes real information for them instead of just random thoughts floating around their heads!

• Retroactive interference: When trying to remember something from long ago—especially if there are gaps between events happening—your brain fills those gaps with whatever comes most easily into your head; this often leads us into making up stories about events we were not present for ourselves but which happened elsewhere rather than what actually happened!

Conclusion

Memory is a powerful tool for recalling the past, but it can also be influenced by our interpretations of that memory. Many factors influence who remembers what and when, so we should be sure that we have evidence before making judgments about what happened in a criminal case.