Stress and trauma can really affect how reliable our memories are. This is especially important in legal cases, where what a witness remembers can change the outcome of a trial. Research shows that when people are under a lot of stress or have experienced trauma, it can make it harder for them to remember things correctly.

Key Points

1. Memory Encoding:

   • When we're stressed, it's tougher for us to take in new information. One study found that being in a high-stress situation can make our memories about 25% less accurate (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908).
   • During stressful times, our brains focus more on surviving rather than remembering every detail. This can lead to memories that are not complete.

2. Retrieval:

   • Traumatic experiences can also make it difficult to pull up those memories later. Research by Deffenbacher and others (2004) found that witnesses under a lot of stress were 15% less accurate when remembering details about what happened compared to those who were calmer.
   • Sometimes, emotional reactions can create "flashbulb memories," where we may clearly remember some details but get the main points wrong.

3. Misleading Information:

   • People who have gone through stress or trauma are more likely to remember things incorrectly when they hear new or misleading information. Loftus (1979) found that individuals in stressful situations were 40% more likely to mix in wrong details into their memories.
   • This is known as the "misinformation effect." It means that hearing new information after an event can change how we remember it, making eyewitness accounts less trustworthy.

Stats to Consider

• About 60% of eyewitnesses might not remember details accurately because of stress affecting their memory (Easterbrook, 1959).
• In a look at eyewitness testimonies, around 30% were later found to be wrong, often because of the witnesses’ emotional reactions at the time (Wells et al., 1998).

In summary, stress and trauma really change how we remember things. This is important for people in the legal field to keep in mind when considering eyewitness testimony. Understanding how memory works in these situations helps ensure that memories in court are as accurate as possible.