Essay Sample on Memory Errors: Impact on Daily Life

Introduction

According to Schacter (2012), even though memory conducts important functions in daily life, it is prone to some errors. Just like the rest of the people, eyewitnesses can make errors when remembering the specific details. Memory errors have serious consequences on human beings in daily life. The memory of an individual is not based on previous experiences and it is not perfect as it is based on unclear facts and episodes. The cognition of an individual gives one the chance of attendance, organization, and rehearsal of information. Memory errors vary from commission and omission. Memory errors are common and they have consequences on individuals. In the case of Shannon and Babbygone, memory error resulted in the conviction of Shannon with murder.

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The case that I have selected is the one where Michael Shannon was wrongly convicted of murder due to the memory error of the only eye witness (Bazelon, 2019). In the murder trial, the only eye witness that existed was Emma Bourgoyne, who sat in the passenger seat of the car driven by the husband, where a man fired a gun at a middle man among the three men who chatted by a curb. When Bourgoyne was asked whether she saw the eye witness who ran after shooting, she said yes and pointed towards Shannon. According to her, she had picked up the photo of Shannon six months after the incident, and she was sure that he was the right man. At first, she said that the person who committed the crime was six feet tall (Bazelon, 2019). However, when the accused stood up, Morrison, who was one of the jurors observed that Shannon was six inches shorter. Morrison was surprised by the eye witness who claimed to have seen the shooter for 15 to 20 seconds (Bazelon, 2019). The other eyewitnesses who had written that Shannon was not the shooter or could not recognize the murder were not contacted. However, he later appealed and it was determined in his favor which made him be released.

The main features of the error are committing unconscious reference and false confession. In this case, Bourgoyne did not see the real person that committed the murder. He confused the real person that committed the murder with Shannon. Since the other witnesses were not contacted, the jurors relied on his claims. It is the impact of the false memory effect. According to research, it is difficult for most of the witnesses to identify individuals from a different race. For instance, in the case, Shannon was a black while Bourgoyne was white making it difficult for her to really recognize the murderer who was also black. It can be based on the fact that the other witnesses who were black but were not contacted ruled out that the shooter was not Shannon.

According to Robinson-Riegler B. and Robinson-Riegler, G. L. (2012), people remember things differently. In chapter eight, the book discusses the sins of memory. Some of the sins of memory include information loss due to time passage, transience, blocking, and absentmindedness (Robinson-Riegler B. and Robinson-Riegler, 2012). In the case, it can be observed that the error might have occurred due to time passage since the person was recognized 6 months after the incident.

The question regarding the fact that false memories being created has been the subject of debate among the research and clinical psychologists (Madill & Holch, 2004). Therapists and counselors argue that traumatic memories might be dissociated or repressed from consciousness, and they can be recovered later. Madill and Holch (2004) further argue that autobiographical memory which is gathered from the personal history of an individual is suggestible and fallible and might sometimes be prone to bias. Furthermore, false confession like the case of Shannon results from false memory proponents and they are regarded as evidence that might be potent for a confused and vulnerable person (Madill & Holch, 2004). Guided imagery is sometimes used in processing difficult memories.

The causes of false confession in the case include contamination error, time passage, and discrimination since the accused was a black. The consequences of the error includes tarnishing the name of the accused and conviction. Memory training is the best method that can be used in reducing memory error among individuals (Szpitalak, Woltmann, Polczyk, & Kekus, 2019). Training will help in reducing the susceptibility impact of misinformation. Also, it can play a role in increasing the quality of testimonies brought by the eyewitness (Szpitalak et al., 2019). The policemen and can always also use the strategy the method to get genuine eyewitnesses.

Conclusion

In summary, the testimony of the eyewitnesses is usually convincing to the jurors. However, it is not normally reliable in all cases. Identification errors like the case of Shannon occur in most of the cases and it results in people being accused falsely and evicted. Also, the memory of the eye witness might be corrupted through leading questions, co-witnesses conversations, and events misinterpretation. In some cases, people remember even the events which did not take place. Therefore, in the legal system, memory problems are real and should be fixed.

References

Bazelon, E. (2019). Shadow of a doubt. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/01/15/magazine/split-jurors.html

Madill, A., & Holch, P. (2004). A range of memory possibilities: The challenge of the false memory debate for clinicians and researchers. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy: An International Journal of Theory & Practice, 11(5), 299-310.

Schacter, D. L. (2012). Adaptive constructive processes and the future of memory. American Psychologist, 67(8), 603.

Szpitalak, M., Woltmann, A., Polczyk, R., & Kekus, M. (2019). Memory Training as a Method for Reducing the Misinformation Effect. Current Psychology, 1-10.