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Articles on False memory

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Harvey Weinstein leaves for the day during his trial on charges of rape and sexual assault, in New York, Jan. 28, 2020. AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

Harvey Weinstein’s ‘false memory’ defense is not backed by science

As women began to come forward with experiences of rape and abuse, backlash came forward too. The notion of ‘false memory’ developed to explain away assault. Here’s why that notion itself is untrue.
Police often rely on witnesses to finger the right guy, but eyewitnesses are far from perfect. Lineup image via www.shutterstock.com.

Vagaries of memory mean eyewitness testimony isn’t perfect

Twenty eyewitnesses testified before the grand jury investigating the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. None of these accounts is fully consistent with any other. Moreover, eyewitnesses…
Research shows that our memories are not direct representations of past occurrences. Flickr/kharied

The instability of memory: how your brain edits your recollections

Memory is an essential part of our existence. Who we are, what we know and what we think can all be derived from our ability to remember. How reliable, though, are our memories? A study, published in the…

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