Psychology
Arguably, photographs can function as important memory aids. However, they can as well lead to memory inaccuracies. Many converging line of memory research suggest that photographs have a strong positive influence on the induction of false memories (Freda, Knowels, Saletan, and Loftus, 2013; Henkel, 2011; Strange, Garry, Bernstein and Lindsay, 2011). This initial survey of relevant research seeks to establish the mechanism by which false memories, induced through photographic evidence, might lead to erroneous identification and false confessions. Despite an overwhelming mountain of evidence demonstrating the fallibility of human memory, many judicial systems still place premium on eye witness testimony. According to the Innocence project (2007), of the initial 225 cases overturned based on DNA evidence, eye witness misidentification and false admissions were implicated in 77% and 23% of the faulty convictions respectively. A better understanding of how photographic evidence used in law enforcement investigations and interrogations leads to the induction of false memories will allow for the development of safeguards to prevent future wrongful convictions. To the end, the paper will be focusing on discussing the effect of photograph induced false memories on eyewitness testimony. Particularly, it will be shown that photographs are likely to mislead individuals concerning what they did or did not do.
A photograph is one of the factors that have been known to affect the memory of witnesses, leading to contamination, hence the unreliability, of witness evidence. Although photographs can support memory, they are also likely to lead to memory erroneousness. In fact, various experiments have shown that photographs are likely to make individuals to claim to have done something, which they had actually not done. For instance, in the study of false memories of fabricated political events, Steven et al. (2013) showed how photographs could affect the memories of an individual, leading to giving false accounts of events. In this study, the researchers investigated the memories of the participants on true and made-up political events. However, in each of the made-up events, an image supposedly portraying that event was included. The results of the study showed that more than a half of the participants falsely remembered the made-up events happened, with more than 27% stating that the events were on the past news. Based on the control studies, the researchers came to a conclusion that events are embedded in memory when they are consistent with an individual’s previous evaluations and attitudes (Steven et al 2013). This is particularly because attitude-matching false occurrences enhance feelings of familiarity and recognition, which in turn hampers with attribution of the source.
Based on the above mentioned study, and many other similar studies, it is argued that photographs help in the creation of false memories. For instance, if an individual is shown a doctored childhood photo of events that did not actually occur are likely to report false memories of the same. Similarly, it is also argued that photographs are likely to change peoples’ memories of political events and news, as illustrated in the above experiment (Steven et al 2013). Based on this analysis, it can be argued that eyewitness testimony should not be solely relied upon on making decisions, especially when it comes to the judicial system. This is simply because the testimony could not be a reflection of the actual events, because the photos seen by the witness could have induced false memories, making the witness to think he actually witnessed the event(s) over which he is giving testimony, whereas in the actual sense the same did not happen.
Furthermore, it has also been argued that mental imagery, like photographs, could enhance development of false memories (Seema et al 2013). By imagining a false occurrence, an individual’s confidence is inflated that he experienced. This kind of imagination is commonly known as imagination inflation. According on the various studies that have been undertaken on inducing false memory, it is argued that false memories is a product of misattributing the origin of inferred, imagined or proposed information to the real experience. People tend to involuntarily detect the source of their mental familiarity trough assessing features such as vividness, detail, and familiarity. A good number of psychologists assert that photographs are likely to strengthen or intensify a person’s aptitude to counterfactually imagine, which in turn contributes to misattribution of the source, which is likely to lead to false memories (Seema et al 2013).
Implantation of false memories through photographs has various repercussions. The most significant repercussion is affecting what an individual thinks and feels with regard to a certain experience. It can also influence an individual’s later actions and intensions. In some cases, it would be difficult for an individual to distinguish true memories of prior experiences (Steven et al 2013). Again, this is clearly illustrated by the above mentioned studies, especially the one conducted by Steven et al.
In an experiment to assess whether false alcohol beliefs and memories lead to diminished alcohol preferences, Seema et al (2013) assessed the impact of implanted false memories on shaping the succeeding attitudes and preferences of people. From their study, Seema et al. came to a conclusion that implanted false memories, with regard to past drinking encounters, has a considerable influence on drinking preferences. From this study, it is evident that implanted false memories could influence the actual thinking of an individual. Perhaps, this experiment argues the findings on the previously mentioned experiments especially those on the effect of photographs on the testimony of witnesses (Seema et al 2013). In this case, the participants’ attitude and preference on alcohol was altered by the false accounts during the experiment. This show how false memory implanted in an individual could influence his account of the past events. Particularly, it implies that the information or testimony that witnesses give, by merely looking at a picture, should not be applied in making the final judgment in the judicial system, because it is difficult to determine whether the testimony is based on the actual events that the witness experienced or is based on the implanted false memories that is created by looking at the picture (Seema et al 2013).
In conclusion, it is evident that photographs have a greater effect on the account of an individual on the events of the past. Particularly, photographs induce false memories of witnesses, and it is difficult to remember the events of the past exactly the way they happened. Because of the convincing attribute of the eyewitness testimonies, numerous wrongful convictions have been made in the judicial system. With the help of DNA experiments, a number of wrongful convictions, which were based on eyewitness testimonies, have been overturned. This clearly indicates the flaws that are associated with eyewitness testimonies, especially when a photograph is used in helping the witness to remember past events. A photograph, though implanting false memories in an individual, is likely to lead to mislead a person on what he/she did or did not do in the past.
References
Frenda, S. J., Knowles, E. D., Saletan, W., &Loftus, E. F. (2013). False memories of fabricated political events. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 280-286.Henkel, L. A. (2011). Photograph-induced memory errors: When photographs make people claim they have done things they have not. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(1), 78-86. Innocence Project. (2007). Understand the causes. Retrieved from http://www.innocenceproject .org/understand/Strange, D., Garry, M., Bernstein, D. M., & Lindsay, D. (2011). Photographs cause false memories for the news. ActaPsychologica, 136(1), 90-94
Seema, L.C; Daniel, M.B; Antonia, M; and Elizabeth, F.L. (2013) “Queasy does it”: False alcohol belief and memories may lead to diminished alcohol preferences. Acta Pyschologica, 143, 14-19
Steven J.F; Eric, D.K; William, S; and Elizabeth F.L. (2013). False memories of fabricated political events. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 280-286
