Eyewitness's False Memory

Eyewitness memory is a very delicate and interesting thing. An individual that is an eyewitness has a first-hand account of an event that occurred. However, when they try to remember and give an account of the event no one knows whether it is true or not because, other eyewitnesses may have a completely different memory of the event. Even though these individuals may have been standing right beside each other they combine details from past memories with the current event. Combining these details from memories is how eyewitnesses obtain their false memory. Also being put under stress can affect an individual’s memory, or certain aspects of the event can unconsciously stand out to the person and that is all their brain focuses on. Eyewitness accounts are important and used by the police and judicial branch to help solve cases and possibly convict individuals for crimes; however, they are not a concrete and reliable source.

When someone is an eyewitness they have observed an event
In fact, “Until the age of eight of nine, most people do not have a sense of memory that is developed enough to reliably recall more than the bare outline of events, particularly stressful ones, the review concludes.” (National Geographic). So not only is the child being affected by reconstructed memories and stress like teenagers and adults, but they barely have an understanding of the outline of what they just witnessed and experienced. If the event was stressful or traumatic, many people (that are not memory experts) believe that the stress and intense emotions will make it easier for the eyewitness to recall details. Even if it is years from when the actual event occurred they believe that the eye witness can recover those details; however many psychologists have found that “Overall, the fact that an event was stressful or traumatic is not a good predictor of a child’s subsequent memory for that event.” (National