Can You Trust Your Memory as an Eye Witness?

[wolram]

I bet most of you will fail this test, it just goes to show that an eye witness is not reliable witness,
any way test your skill at memory and observation.

http://www.youramazingbrain.org/testyourself/eyewitness.htm

I am a very poor witness, now be honest with your score

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I failed. However I don't think the video is well constructed. It cuts several times and doesn't offer a full fluid perspective.

 

[WWGD]

You're right Marlowe, same goes for memory, which is reconstructive and not recollective. Sadly the average person is
not aware or not interested ( or both) and overzealous prosecutors conveniently ignore this (when it favors them, of course).

 

[Stephanus]

Flunk all the questions, only remember a man teasing his white dog!

 

[Hepth]

I got the last 3 right! The first I felt like I had seen so many go into different ones there was no way. I agree though that the way its cut is nothing at all like how I experience my day-to-day life. If it was I'm not sure I'd be a good witness...

 

[collinsmark]

I actually did pretty good!

Spoiler

I got the first three right, but admittedly sort of guessed at the car. I remembered the general shape and color, but if a different make of the same shape and color were one of the choices, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

I didn't answer the 4th question, but rather skipped it. I remembered the man had on a beanie hat thing*, but I couldn't recall his face so I refused to answer. I did not go so far as to say he wasn't in the group of mugshots though. The answer the webpage gave me on that was, "You didn't pick out anyone from the mugshots but that's not necessarily a bad thing; sometimes eye-witnesses feel under pressure to name someone - even if they're not sure. [partial deletion so as not to give spoiler]."

*[Second edit: I just watched the video for the second time, and I realize now that what I thought was a "beanie hat thing" might have just been a weird hairdo. Well, I wouldn't have gotten that right if it were asked. That might be the fault of the video quality though.]

[Edit: wrapped my comments in a spoiler, even though they didn't really reveal much. 'Just for good measure.]

 

[Khashishi]

The video just jumps around randomly and cuts randomly. It makes it impossible to tell where anything is relative to anything else.

 

[Bystander]

cuts several times

nothing at all like how I experience my day-to-day life

just jumps around randomly and cuts randomly

"Disconnected?" Life is full of distractions --- and, you won't even get a "heads up" for the real world as was given in this case. Four/four.

 

[Infinitum]

Got all of them right. I must admit though, that I did have to guess between two options in the second question, which makes me a bad witness!

 

[Ryan_m_b]

This is ridiculous, firstly human vision doesn't just jump from one place to another. Secondly so much of that was irrelevant, not remembering everyday details (like the colour of nearby cars) does not make you a bad witness. All it takes to be a good witness is to remember details of the crime which would be easier because crime and other strange events are much more memorable.

A better way to do this (that doesn't look like it was filmed by school kids in 1995) would be to use a 360 degree camera and a VR headset. Both of those are in abundance at my university atm, plenty of studies use them. Play out a scene and don't tell the participants that they are going to be tested to see how good a crime witness they are. That way you control (to a degree) the fact that by priming someone with what the test is you change their behaviour with regards to observation. Also make the scene longer and more realistic. All that occurred here in terms of relevance to the crime is that a smashing of glass was heard from the shop then a man wearing black with a hat run off with a bald (presumably shopkeeper) in pursuit.