This book was an eye opener as to the trials and struggles that one can encounter. Also that the mind is a tricky thing and must be viewed as a complex organ. Not all the time can we rely on something we believe has all the answers. Jan 17, Fishface rated it liked it.
A very good, interesting and disturbing read. Explains why eyewitness testimony, normally the most trusted type of courtroom evidence, is in fact the least reliable kind. Well worth reading.
Mar 07, Christy rated it it was amazing. The most essential book to my undergrad psychology degree. Jun 28, Katherine rated it really liked it Shelves: general-skepticism , non-fiction , science , true-crime. A really good, but deeply depressing book on how memory and eyewitness testimony can ruin lives. Less a treatise on memory, this book is more an autobiography focusing on Dr. Loftus' work as an expert witness for defendants in criminal trials.
I particularly appreciated the insight into why she did the work she did, how she chose the clients to testify for, and even her troubling refusal to participate in the Demjanjuk trial. The depressing parts of this book are the descriptions of the absolute A really good, but deeply depressing book on how memory and eyewitness testimony can ruin lives. The depressing parts of this book are the descriptions of the absolute destruction of people's lives.
In one case, children's mothers essentially convinced their children that they were sexually abused by a camp counselor. Now these children have to live their whole lives not only convinced that this horrible abuse happened, but the person they are sure committed the abuse got away with it. Another victim, this time of rape, was so convinced that her identification of her assailant was correct that when another man actually confessed to the crime she refused to believe him.
This long-lasting victimization of those who were already victims is heart-breaking. The other depressing part of this book is that, despite being written in , it doesn't seem like much has changed.
People are still falsely accused and convicted based solely on eyewitness accounts. Luckily, we now have DNA evidence that can help exonerate the falsely convicted, but the process is still insanely expensive both in dollars spent and lives ruined. Even with no active malfeasance on the part of police and prosecutors, people are sent to prison or, if found not guilty, must live the rest of their lives with that suspicion hanging over them.
And the victims of the original crime never get the justice they deserve. Because I read the paper edition of this book, I will include my highlights here: That's the frightening part - the truly horrifying idea that our memories can be changed, inextricably altered, and that what we think we know, what we believe with all our hearts, is not necessarily the truth.
Almost invariable, only the person identified from the photo lineup also appears in the in-person lineup, and almost invariably the witness identifies the person he saw in the photos. This is called a "phot0-biased lineup," and the chances of a mistaken identification rise dramatically in such a situation. From the witch-hunts of Salem to the communist hunts of the McCarthy era to the current shrill fixation on child abuse, there runs a common thread of moral hysteria. Yes, it can be said that, while the court makes the fullest use of all the modern scientific methods when, for instance, a drop of dried blood is to be examined in a murder case, the same court is completely satisfied with the most unscientific and haphazard methods of common prejudice and ignorance when a mental product, especially the memory report of a witness, is to be examined.
They don't know that as we take new information in, it is gradually incorporated into our original memory. Believing that this metamorphosed memory is and always has been the real memory, the true, unalterable, indivisible copy of our primary experience all those months or years ago, we become fiercely committed to it. He'd seen pictures of Mr. Haupt, he'd read descriptions of the suspect, and he knew that he was looking for a man with a pronounced bald spot.
His original memory of a full head of hair was wiped out, erased, by this new information, and the bald spot nestled comfortably into his memory, becoming in his mind the real and original memory. To sit there and feel the cold stares of people who immediately presume your guilt. To be forced to participate in the anguish of the victims, to know that your face is the face in their nightmares, the face they have come to hate.
Anger can be directed outward, toward others. Sep 19, Jim rated it it was amazing. Both fascinating and terrifying at the same time, this is a memoir of sorts, from Dr. Elizabeth F. Loftus, who writes about her experiences as an expert witness for defendants in cases where eyewitness testimony ranged from sketchy to downright incorrect. But 2. In almost every case mentioned, the defendant was mistakenly identified and often had their lives ruined as a result.
Unfortunately, in many of these cases, it appears that the defendants were guilty until proven innocent. Several of the trials which Loftus was called in for were very high profile especially at the time.
Ted Bundy is probably the most recognizable, but many of the other cases she discusses made national and international headlines. I was instantly invested in these cases and needed to know the outcome.
This was definitely a captivating read, and something that will stick with me for a long time. View 2 comments. Nov 11, Mike Lund rated it really liked it. Interesting, informative and well written. I was originally looking for something more technical but still understandable to the lay reader.
Elisabeth Loftus is a cognitive psychologist and expert on memory, including malleability of memory, the misinformation effect, false memories, and recovered memories. This is more Dateline or Each chapter detailing a crime with little physical evidence and primarily relying on eye witness testimony. Its hard to believe prosecutors would have brough Interesting, informative and well written. Its hard to believe prosecutors would have brought some of these cases to trial let alone get a conviction.
Memory is malleable. Many things effect what and how we remember. Although the bulk of the book is about the criminal cases she testified in, she details the research used to base her testimonies on. In many ways this was more effective because it gave an example of how information derived in research and laboratory studies can be applied to real life cases. An excellent series of narratives showing the imprecision and sometimes wrongness of witness identifications through various legal anecdotes that show people who were mostly exonerated after being railroaded into guilty verdicts by eyewitnesses whose testimony was interfered with by subsequent events in their lives, by police coaching, or by refusing to change their testimony even after another person has confessed to the crime.
An absorbing psychological study of eyewitness error. The author ev An excellent series of narratives showing the imprecision and sometimes wrongness of witness identifications through various legal anecdotes that show people who were mostly exonerated after being railroaded into guilty verdicts by eyewitnesses whose testimony was interfered with by subsequent events in their lives, by police coaching, or by refusing to change their testimony even after another person has confessed to the crime.
The author even admits that the first time she saw Ted Bundy, he seemed just adorable--and she's the psychologist. The work is a publication, so the references are quite outdated, but this version was reprinted in Dec 11, Edgar Asatryan rated it liked it. Eventually, I read a book about the common myth according to which memory is treated as a durable, immutable snapshot.
It's rather a simplistic view. The author shows the memorizing process is more about integration and creativity rather than exact snapshotting. This means that future information can affect and actually it does one's memory. We are told about these concepts mostly through the direct speech of the author serving as an expert witness in a court.
Concurrently, we become familiar Eventually, I read a book about the common myth according to which memory is treated as a durable, immutable snapshot. Oct 02, Paul Hunter rated it it was amazing. Excellent presentation on memory from a person who has provided expert testimony at many criminal trials and has conducted years of research on memory.
You'll never look at eyewitness testimony the same after you read this. Jul 24, Emg rated it liked it Shelves: social-science. Repetitious, depressing but interesting. El tema es interesante pero el libro es MUY repetitivo. Mar 25, Al Johnson rated it really liked it. Loftus of the University of Seattle has been a pioneer since the 70s of researching and understanding how memory actually works.
From breaking commonly held myths to exploring in her later book The Myth of Repressed Memory , how memories can actually be shaped to appear real, her understanding of this is critical to the Justice System and how we prosecute and defend. Witness for the Defense is an excellent collection of cases Dr. Loftus has been called in to testify on.
The scale of innocen Dr. The scale of innocent persons that are prosecuted and jailed based upon witness testimony, sometimes only from tenuous or improbable memory is indeed frightening.
Having worked a form of investigations post blast bombings , even at the scene of incidents many times it became clear that memories are the least dependable form of evidence available, yet many times the most relied upon in court proceedings and the court of public opinion.
The books layout was easy to read with a short introduction and overview to the research, methodology, and findings followed by very readable chapters highlighting individual cases. A must read for anyone interested in this fascinating field. Sep 02, Tia rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: those who want to know about what it's like to be an expert witness. Save to Library Save. Create Alert Alert. Share This Paper. Background Citations. Methods Citations. Citation Type. Has PDF. Publication Type.
More Filters. The case for expert testimony about eyewitness memory. Eyewitness expert testimony informs a jury about psychological processes and accuracy-related variables in eyewitness testimony. Appropriately chosen testimony is not prejudicial, and it is on sound … Expand. To develop a method to assess the reliability of eyewitness testimony in a real criminal case, a field experimental or simulation method was introduced.
In that case, an eyewitness witnessed a man at … Expand. A Case of Mistaken Identity? The Psychology of Eyewitness Memory. Tyrone is a year-old high school basketball star who, at the time of the crimes, was living at Jervay Place, the local housing project. Tyrone is 6'1" tall, has long hair processed in Jeri … Expand. View 2 excerpts, cites background. Eyewitness Identification: Psychological Aspects. Eyewitness identification refers to a type of evidence in which an eyewitness to a crime claims to recognize a suspect as the one who committed the crime.
In cases where the eyewitness knew the … Expand. What US judges know and believe about eyewitness testimony. In a survey, US judges indicated their knowledge and beliefs about eyewitness testimony.
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