Deep Distortion in Eyewitness Testimonies - Implications to the Criminal Justice System
Eyewitness testimonies are critical components of the criminal justice system, yet their reliability is frequently questioned due to inherent human memory distortions. This study investigates the extent of distortion in eyewitness recall and its implications for criminal justice procedures. The experiment comprises three parts: initially, participants view 12 videos, each featuring a distinct suspect. Following this, participants engage in two 5-minute recall tasks designed to assess their memory retention and accuracy. Lastly, participants are presented with an image containing five lures and one correct suspect from each video, requiring them to identify the accurate suspect. The study aims to quantify the frequency and severity of memory distortions in eyewitness identifications and to explore the factors contributing to these inaccuracies. The study aims to quantify the frequency and severity of memory distortions in eyewitness identifications and to explore the factors contributing to these inaccuracies. The results clearly indicated significant and consistent deep distortion across seven different measures.Keywords: Eyewitness Testimonies, Deep Distortion, Recall Accuracy, Suspect Identification