Name: 目擊者記憶的新科學知識
Uploaded: 2026-02-03T15:36:14Z
Duration: 17 min 23 s
Description: 因為科學界的警示與眾多受矚目的平反冤案，讓我們建立了一套對『目擊者記憶』深感不信任的法律系統。然而，頂尖心理學研究者約翰．威克斯特德卻對這項傳統觀點提出了挑戰；他提出了一個反直覺的發現：問題的核心或許不在於記憶本身，而是在於法庭測試記憶的方式與時機。

因為科學界的警示與眾多受矚目的平反冤案，讓我們建立了一套對『目擊者記憶』深感不信任的法律系統。然而，頂尖心理學研究者約翰．威克斯特德卻對這項傳統觀點提出了挑戰；他提出了一個反直覺的發現：問題的核心或許不在於記憶本身，而是在於法庭測試記憶的方式與時機。

目擊者記憶的新科學知識

Eyewitness memory is not inherently unreliable, but becomes contaminated when tested too late or improperly. Dozens of wrongful convictions, like Ronald Cotton’s, occurred because courts trusted confident trial testimony instead of the earliest memory test. New research shows that a witness’s first, uncontaminated identification—done soon after the crime and with proper procedures—can be highly reliable. Prioritizing this initial test could prevent innocent people from being imprisoned or even sentenced to death.

Eyewitness Memory Is Trustworthy—If Tested At The Right Moment

Eyewitness memory has long been viewed with suspicion, leading to wrongful convictions, like that of Ronald Cotton, who spent 11 years in prison before DNA proved his innocence. Decades of scientific research show human memory is easily contaminated, yet the first test of a witness's memory—conducted soon after the crime—can be highly accurate if handled properly. Later identifications, shaped by repeated questioning and feedback, often become distorted and misleading. Shifting focus to early, uncontaminated memory tests can both prevent and overturn injustices in the legal system.