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HOW RELIABLE IS YOUR MEMORY? Elizabeth Loftus: TED Talk (17:31 min)
https://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_loftus_how_reliable_is_your_memory?language=en

Dr Loftus details the case of Steve Titus. In the first four minutes of this video, she uses many terms related
to crime and the legal system, such as the ones in the box below. Can you use them in context?

rape judge jury (the judge) set Titus free

confessed to this rape
rapist rape victim jail
photo lineup convicted the legal system
the prosecution file a lawsuit put on trial for rape

• rape: Steve Titus was put on trial for rape.

• rapist: The actual rapist later confessed to the crime.
• photo lineup: The victim identified Titus from a photo lineup.
• the prosecution: The prosecution relied heavily on the eyewitness testimony.
• judge: The judge eventually set Titus free.
• rape victim: The rape victim mistakenly identified Titus as her attacker.
• convicted: Titus was wrongfully convicted based on faulty memory.
• file a lawsuit: Titus filed a lawsuit after his exoneration.
• jury: The jury initially found Titus guilty.
• jail: Titus spent time in jail before being exonerated.
• the legal system: The case highlights flaws in the legal system.

She also uses the following passive reporting structure we have studied:
“A man who was thought to have committed 50 rapes.”

Watch the rest of the video and write down DETAILED notes to the following questions.

1. In a study in the U.S., 300 wrongfully convicted defendants were studied. What percentage or fraction of
them had been convicted based on faulty eyewitness memory? (minute 3:12 to 4:47)

Write your answer: In a study of 300 wrongfully convicted defendants in the U.S., 75% were convicted based
on faulty eyewitness memory.

2. Watch the next part and fill in the gaps: (minute 4:47 to 5:24)

a. ‘’Many people believe that memory works like a video recorder.’’ (2 words)

b. Decades of research in psychology have shown that our memories are:

i. reconstructive and ii. malleable

c. ‘’Memory works a little bit more like a Wikipedia page .’’ (2 words)

LEADING QUESTIONS

Read and understand the following information about and examples of leading questions. Use your dictionary
as needed.
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A leading question is a question that prompts or encourages the answer wanted by the person who is asking.
Here are two examples:

LEADING QUESTION EXPLANATION OPEN QUESTION EXPLANATION

1. Do you have any This question prompts the Can you tell me about This question does not
problems with your boss? person to question their your relationship with look for any
employment relationship. In a your boss? judgement or imply
subtle way it raises the idea that there might be
that there are problems. something wrong with
the relationship.

2. How fast was the red car This question implies that the How fast was each car This question does not
going when it smashed into red car was at fault, and the going when the assign any blame or
the blue car? word "smashed" implies a high accident happened? pre-judgment.
speed.

3. Write down details of Dr Loftus’ two experiments about the constructive memory process? Include what she
asked subjects to do and the results.

Study 1: (minute 5:24 to 6:15)

• Subjects were shown a simulated car accident and asked, "How fast were the cars going when they hit
each other?"

• Later, some subjects were asked the same question but with the verb "smashed" instead of "hit."

• Results: Those who heard "smashed" estimated higher speeds and were more likely to falsely
remember broken glass at the scene.

Study 2: (minute 6:15 to 6:35)

• Subjects were shown a video of a car accident and later asked misleading questions.

• Results: Many subjects incorporated the misleading information into their memories, altering their
recall of the event.

4. Watch the next part about another study conducted involving the U.S. military and write down any USEFUL
crime/eyewitness-related vocabulary (NEW OR FAMILIAR). (minute 6:35 to 7:50)

Vocabulary list: interrogation; false confession; eyewitness testimony; memory contamination; traumatic
events; memory distortion

5. Watch the next part of the video about misinformation. There is no need to take notes. Simply listen and
understand what Dr Loftus says about misinformation. (minute 7:50 to 8:33)
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Dr. Loftus explains how misinformation can alter memories. When people are exposed to incorrect details
after an event, they often incorporate those details into their memories, creating false recollections.

6. Although Dr Loftus introduces us to this memory problem – false or faulty memories – in the field of
criminology, in the rest of her talk she discusses the implications in psychotherapy. Watch the next part and
write down the details of ALL the cases she talks about – Who? What? When? Where? Why?
Conclusions/Implications, etc.

Dr. Loftus discusses several cases where false memories were implanted during therapy: Case 1: A woman
falsely remembered being abused by her family after suggestive therapy techniques. Case 2: A man developed
false memories of committing violent crimes due to therapist suggestions. Case 3: Patients in therapy recalled
alien abductions after being influenced by their therapists.

Conclusions/Implications:

• False memories can be easily implanted, especially in suggestive environments like therapy.

• This has serious implications for the justice system and psychotherapy, where unreliable memories
can lead to wrongful convictions or trauma.

• Memory is highly malleable, and we must be cautious about relying solely on recalled experiences.