Memory and law: what can cognitive neuroscience contribute?
By Daniel L. Schacter, Elizabeth F. Loftus. 2013
139 citations recorded by the source corpus.
A recent decision in the United States by the New Jersey Supreme Court has led to improved jury instructions that incorporate psychological research showing that memory does not operate like a video recording. Here we consider how cognitive neuroscience could contribute to addressing memory in the courtroom. We discuss conditions in which neuroimaging can distinguish true and false memories in the laboratory and note reasons to be skeptical about its use in courtroom cases. We also discuss neuroscience research concerning false and imagined memories, misinformation effects and reconsolidation phenomena that may enhance understanding of why memory does not operate like a video recording.
Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Social Psychology
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In Cognitive Neuroscience
- Sheena A. Josselyn
- Y. Dudai
- S. Tonegawa
- Jan Born
- Paul W. Frankland
- Morris Moscovitch
- Gordon Winocur
- Loren M. Frank
In Social Psychology
Citations in the corpus
- Memory engrams: Recalling the past and imagining the future (2020, background): “An analogous mechanism may underlie human false memories, except that in humans, the previously acquired memory would be retrieved by natural processes (83).”
- The molecular and systems biology of memory. (2014, unknown): “The identification of this renewed window of plasticity in humans opens valuable possibilities, ranging from ameliorating PTSD (see above), to enhancing learning in the classroom (Roediger and Butler, 2011) and understanding memory distortion (Schacter and Loftus, 2013).”
- The restless engram: consolidations never end. (2012, background): “In parallel, it is noteworthy that the outcome of research on brain and cognitive mechanisms of memory spills into key aspects of daily life and society (Schacter and Loftus, 2013).”
- Memory Engram Cells Have Come of Age. (2015, unknown): “In humans, memory distortions and illusions occur frequently, which often results from incorporation of misinformation into memory from external sources (Loftus, 2003; Roediger andMcDermott, 1995; Schacter and Loftus, 2013).”