Re: OT: conversations about life
- From: Quentin Grady <quentin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:14:04 +1300
On Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:24:43 -0800, Michelle C <bookbug_35@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Eye witness evidence is hopeless, much worse than people suspect.
I understand what you are saying. Unfortunately, people tend to put a
lot of faith in eyewitness testimony--after all, they believe their own
eyes, why not the witnesses? However, most people are unaware about how
their visual memory can deceive them, filling in gaps in the memory etc.
We had a wonderful demonstration of just how unreliable eye witness
testimony is given to us on a TV program on memory. The participants
were taken outside and actors performed a realistic purse snatch. One
of the participants gave chase. The bag snatcher wore a hoody. The
bloke who gave chase mentioned white writing on the hoody. In fact
there was none but all the other participants somehow reasoned he was
closer and if he saw it then it must have been there. "Suspects" were
put in a line up. The participants picked contestant 1 and 5 (IIRC)
None of them picked 2, the actual bag snatcher. Not a single one
picked the correct person. The majority were influenced by the white
writing report.
I happen to know that I have a very poor visual memory, unless I make a
conscious effort to remember. My dad is visually astute, and we've
found that if he asks me to describe someone, all I can do is give a
general picture.
People vary tremendously in their ability to remember detail. Trained
witnesses do better. Also experience makes a big difference. Imagine
a geneticist. They'd automatically notice features like connected ear
lobes, widow's peak, different finger length. It is the sort of thing
others wouldn't be interested in.
This doesn't mean they'd be better at recognising a person. Apparently
the more one puts the description into words the less accurate one
becomes in selecting the correct person in the line up.
It is as though one selects the person who best fits the words rather
than who was the actual person.
I would make a bad eyewitness, unless I was in a
situation where I worked to remember or the villain had a tattoo on his
nose or something equally unusual. Unlike many, I am aware of this.
Your point is well appreciated. Unfortunately the people with the
least self awareness are likely to be the most convincing to a jury.
Best regards,--
Michelle C., T2
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin
.
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