The human brain is a wonderful and complex organ that is responsible for nearly all of our actions, reactions and responses to situations, scenarios and circumstances. We use our brains every day, and we access different parts of our mind to tell us how to perform certain activities.
Your Mind Remembers...
 |
| Image Credit. Can human memory be trusted ? |
You are able to drive a car each day because your memory tells you how to do so. We do not have to re-learn the basics of driving every time we get behind the wheel because our unconscious memory works for us. You can trust your memory and your mind for many aspects of daily life, but can the human brain and more specifically, the human memory, be trusted all of the time?
Legal Eagles – Eyewitness Testimony
The memory of an eyewitness in a criminal matter can often be the most damning evidence that leads to the conviction of accused people. Can eyewitness testimony be trusted to the extent that it has been in the past? There have been many cases where people were convicted solely on the testimony of an eyewitness which later turned out to be wrong.
Undue Influence
Researchers at Harvard University have found that memory is influenced by the emotions as well as the feelings about what is being witnessed. False memories, based on the feelings and deep emotions of a witness or a victim to a crime or violent scene have often been shown to be distorted. Law enforcement officials have been accused of subtly influencing eyewitness testimony over the years and now eyewitness testimony has to be backed up by physical evidence or corroboration to be used in a court of law. Remember the Salem witch trials...
Can Your Memory be Changed?
Most people would say “No”. Scientists, for many years thought that once you created a memory it remained unchanged forever. However new research suggests that each time a memory is accessed; it is changed slightly depending on what has happened to you, and what you have experienced recently.
Repressed Memory – Does Your Brain Affect You Without Your Knowledge?
Repressed memories are memories that the brain has buried so deeply that they cannot be accessed easily. Most often caused by extreme trauma, they too may be distorted and heightened even, by the emotions and feelings of the person who was subjected to the trauma. The most common example of a repressed memory has been found in war veterans and survivors of childhood abuse. The repressed memory is able to influence the daily activities and even quality of life for the sufferer, but the memory may be wreaking more havoc as it lies dormant. Psychiatrists and therapists work with repressed memories to unlock the keys to different mental illnesses and healing after trauma.
While we rely on our memories to keep us functioning as human beings, we also need to make sure that what we are remembering is in fact what really happened.