AUTHOR:Elizabeth F. Loftus and Gary L. Wells, eds.
CATEGORY:psychology
COMMENT:Discusses the fallibility of eyewitness testimony, based on psychological studies about the reliability of eyewitness accounts and the factors which can distort the memory of witnessed events. The main conclusion is that there are so many factors which can distort memory that eyewitness testimony is virtually worthless in the absence of corroborating physical or circumstantial evidence. The relevance to skeptical concerns is clear; many paranormal reports, such as UFO abduction accounts, are claims based solely on the testimony of alleged witnesses.
