Abstract
‘I saw it with my own eyes, I can tell you exactly what happened.’ This statement carries a lot of weight when we are trying to find out about an event. The evidence of eyewitnesses is a very important part of criminal trials, but is our memory as trustworthy as we believe it to be? The work of Bartlett (1932; see the previous summary in this text) tells us that remembering is an inaccurate process that is distorted by expectations, values and cultural norms. So, can we really believe the evidence of our own eyes?
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Copyright information
© 1996 Philip Banyard and Andrew Grayson
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Loftus, E.F., Palmer, J.C. (1996). Eyewitness Testimony. In: Introducing Psychological Research. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24483-6_46
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24483-6_46
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-62005-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-24483-6
eBook Packages: Palgrave Social & Cultural Studies CollectionSocial Sciences (R0)