PSYO120 WEEK 4 DISCUSSION
W4 Discussion Question 1: The Memory of a
Witness- How Reliable Is It?
Purpose: The goal of this discussion is to help you apply what you’ve learned about how
memory works to a real-world legal scenario. Memory plays a powerful role in our daily lives, and in the courtroom. However, what we remember (and misremember) isn’t always as accurate as we believe.
Initial Post (due Friday by 11:59 pm CST): Imagine you’re a defense attorney in a criminal
rial. Your client has been accused of robbing a convenience store, and several eyewitnesses
claim to have seen them at the scene. As part of your strategy, you want to educate the jury
about how memony really works, and how it can be flawed. For your initial discussion post
(minimum of 300 words)
Explain to the jury why eyewitnestestinonY may not always be reliable. using eoncepts
from Chapter & of the DpenStax Psyehelneytetoak
In your post, make sure to
dentify and explain edsteetrHHcSaAROson atd Shiftrm model ot
memory (e.g.. encodingorEARhor tem memory long
answer the following questions:
Explain to the jury why eyewitness testimony may not always be reliable, using concepts
from Chapter 8 of the OpenStax Psychology textbook.
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In your post, make sure to:
dentify and explain at least three principles from the Atkinson and Shiffrin model of
memory (e.g.,
Give specift examples of how each principle might cause eyewitnesses to misremember
Or distort what they saw. Examples:
The misinformnation effect (how memory can be altered by post-event information)
Constructive memory (how memories can be reconstructed not replayed)
False memories (how people can remember things that never happened)
Source anmnesia/confusion (misremembering where the information came from)
Share your conclusion Should the jury trust eyewitness memory as strong evidence?
Why or why not
Tip: You might also consider factors suh as stress time delay, suggestion, or misinformation
that could influence memory at each stage
Response Posts due Sunday by 11:59 pm CST: Comment on twO of your classmates posts
with probing questions, alternative ideas, or other valuable input. Your questions or
Comments should be a minimum of 100 words, promote ciscsuSsion, and should contribute to the learning of the group by offering dditional insight or unque perspectives
encoding, storage, retrieval, sensory memory, short- term memory, long
term memory).
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