Before responding to the questions below, click on the
“Lessons” link on the left and complete the Week 3: Topic 3 – Memory
lesson. After completing the lesson, return to the forum here, click the “Post
New Conversation” link at the top Week 3 Forum screen, and respond to the
following questions.
General posting requirements can be viewed by clicking the
Week 3 Forum “View Full Description” link on the Forums screen under
the heading “Forum General Posting Requirements”.
A great deal of controversy has surrounded the phenomenon of
“false memory syndrome” and the implications that it has had in our society,
particularly in the legal realm. One of the most influential psychologists in
the area of memory and eye witness testimony is Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, who has
spent three decades as a research psychologist and memory expert in legal
cases. To learn more about the controversy surrounding “false memory syndrome,”
visit the online LA Weekly website at
http://www.laweekly.com/2004-08-19/news/memory-and-manipulation/
to read the article, “Memory and Manipulation.”
Based on the points that the Loftus article brings up and
your readings and research this week respond to the following:
What kind of implications do particular limitations of human
memory have on the use of eye-witness testimony in criminal and civil court
cases?
