16/09/2025
đ§ How reliable is your memory?
Stockton Sixth Form College
This week, my students took a deep dive into the fascinatingâand sometimes flawedâworld of Eyewitness Testimony (EWT).
We explored the strengths and weaknesses of EWT, with a powerful case study: Ronald Cotton, a man wrongly convicted based on eyewitness misidentification. His story sparked thoughtful discussions about justice, memory, and the human mind.
To bring theory to life, we ran three hands-on memory experiments: Students memorised 25 items from the board before they vanishedâtesting short-term recall under pressure. We watched a clip from The Fall, where students jotted down key details, then answered 15 targeted questions to see how much they truly remembered. In pairs, students tackled EFIT image reconstruction: one viewed a series of faces for 10 seconds each, while their partnerâfacing the wallâhad to draw the face based solely on verbal description.
The results? Bloody hilarious! But also, insightful and a brilliant reminder of how tricky accurate recall can be.
This session blended critical thinking, real-world relevance, and a healthy dose of creativity. Itâs amazing to see students challenge assumptions and reflect on how memory shapes justice.
đ How confident are you in your own eyewitness memory? Letâs just say⌠itâs not always as reliable as we think!
