People & Blogs
The New Science of Eyewitness Memory | John Wixted | TED
We’ve built a legal system that distrusts eyewitness memory — backed by cautionary science and high-profile exonerations. John Wixted, a leading psychology researcher, challenges this conventional wisdom with a counterintuitive finding: the problem might not be memory itself but how (and when) courts test it. (Recorded at TEDxUCSanDiego on May 17, 2025) Join us in…
People & Blogs
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People & Blogs
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People & Blogs
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@welcome.421
April 5, 2026 at 11:04 am
❤Yes TED — just to say thank you for understanding🙏🏼
@HamidAW
April 5, 2026 at 11:10 am
Your words are really valuable💡
@abbosakramov1316
April 5, 2026 at 11:25 am
That’s why in Islam 4 witnesses are required for some type of crimes
@ObinnaOkehie
April 5, 2026 at 12:36 pm
It’s interesting how 4 authors each wrote the story of the Lord Jesus Christ. 4 witnesses confirming the Truth of who Jesus is.
@SamanthaPhilip324
April 5, 2026 at 1:54 pm
@ObinnaOkehie The gospels were each written decades after Jesus’ ministry. This would suggest they’re somewhat Unreliable.
@ObinnaOkehie
April 5, 2026 at 3:02 pm
@SamanthaPhilip324what matters is that there are at least 4 WITNESSES who, at different times, wrote a biography of Jesus Christ, and their stories align. There are also others who wrote of Jesus Christ like Paul, James and Peter and all of their work align and describe His nature and character. The more witness stories that align, the more confident we are that the stories of Jesus Christ contained in the Bible are true.
@Saphina1416
April 5, 2026 at 4:10 pm
Interesting fact: The word “silver” means money according to Scottish English. This is valid in the English language. I’m siding with the Scottish on this one!
@Unknownpractitioner123
April 5, 2026 at 5:51 pm
@ObinnaOkehie as someone else pointed out out, there were written decades after the event by people who were not eye witnesses to the event..
@noneed2argue44
April 5, 2026 at 11:42 am
If only eyewitness memory was as quantifiable as forensic evidence! Loved this one. Thank you!
@Unknownpractitioner123
April 5, 2026 at 12:06 pm
Yet people still believe the “eye witness testimonies” of the resurrection despite the fact they were claimed by one individual (Paul) and written 25+ years following the death of Christ 🤡
@TardigradeTough
April 5, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Court hold eye witness testimony in too high a regard our brains are so flawed and easily mistaken and fooled
@jf-jx4ym
April 5, 2026 at 1:35 pm
This is good lecture…
You cant really generalize…this.. At all its really tough..
Even assuming Theres a goal of 100% truth in the eye witness.. Assuming cops lawyers judges are not corrupt or unreasonable .
This Depends on situation.. Time of day.. Social belief and interests.. Hatred.. Manipulation.. Personal connections.. Media brainwashing.. Period.. Hormonal activity.. Whether one has been lied about in the past (lying is contagious)… Framing..trauma.. Dreams.. Personal benefit of witness group…. Personal benefit of target and the judgement system..personal benefit of culprits….. Social pressure.. Past Memories..
Not even DNA is dependable.. Processwise… Especially if one can expect malicious intent or childish intent from someone…
Like making false claims.. Deliberate or not..
Imagine social media or neutral nets… group of Malactors or people abusing someones name or face or missinformation or such for their own means and ends.. By destroying the person or group of people in question..
All this is ofc only used to sell the narrative for surveillance as needed thing in our lives. Its not. But cant excape it.
If people with malicious or benefit seeking intent get ahold of your information.. Whatever that is.. You can be framed also.. One Can plant social truths or tidbits of information for horrible abusive lies.
Most often modern crime utilizes trust.. Surveillance.. Digital systems and even police for their own benefit its fukching horrible if you have been targeted by it..
@AndarilhoMarco
April 5, 2026 at 3:45 pm
Dude makes a lot of claims without evidence, and relies on the abstract notion of “untainted memory”. There is no such thing as untainted memory in reality. As early as the person thinking about the experience or trying to put it into words the memory is already being tainted, and it just gets worse every time the person recalls it. Even his point that the witness not recognizing anyone at first test is evidence of innocence is false because we know people can misjudge how good they can recall something. Memory is just not reliable enough to a legal procedure and always should be verified.
@nerys71
April 6, 2026 at 12:50 pm
And you kind of just prove the point of what he’s trying to get at without even realizing you’re proving his own point
Because your memory is already tainted because you don’t even realize he didn’t say that
You’re literally basing your rebuke on a claim that never came from him it came from your fictional tainted memory
He never said unchained memory
He said memory as clear as it’s ever going to be.
You’re literally proving his point for him
@AndarilhoMarco
April 6, 2026 at 4:10 pm
@nerys71 That is more like you showing you didn’t pay attention to what he said. And you’re proving my point since you can’t even remember something you read 10 seconds earlier.
And yes, he claims there is “untainted memory”, you don’t even recall the term he used.
Just go home, you’re not qualified for this discussion.
@thechuckjosechannel.2702
April 5, 2026 at 5:32 pm
Good lecture unlike Actual Justice Warrior.
@homewall744
April 5, 2026 at 7:11 pm
Eyewitnesses should never be used in court and should only be used to help driver investigators to find real evidence.
@homewall744
April 5, 2026 at 7:19 pm
The US legal system hates the notion of justice or the truth. It’s all about closing cases and holding grudges.
@wertyzaza773
April 5, 2026 at 11:05 pm
Really thought-provoking take, challenges the assumption that memory itself is unreliable and instead points to how it’s evaluated in court. Insights like this could have a big impact on how justice systems approach eyewitness testimony going forward.
@wealthyblackman2655
April 6, 2026 at 12:43 pm
There is a “reason” that courts have a 7 year statue of limitations to trial a case!
@nerys71
April 6, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Here’s the core problem
The police are the core problem
Police in many of these cases do not seek Justice they seek conviction
The possibility that they could be wrong does not enter the equation to them.
We love eyewitness testimony because we can relate police love eyewitness testimony because it’s very easy for them to put their finger on the scale.
@mgs85
April 6, 2026 at 2:56 pm
I don’t think this method necessarily results in lower false positives. And, I think if properly studied, results would bear out that memory is both available to be contaminated immediately in those moments he’s talking about and is already being actively eroded upon first recall or maybe even prior to. The brain simply loves to fill in gaps.
What would make his approach would is some apparatus that does not exist which would allow some sort of snapshot of a persons memory in these moments. Until then, I don’t see how anyone overcomes the problem with memory in a court of law.
@rudolfsykora3505
April 6, 2026 at 4:30 pm
Congratulations US on eyewitness testimony as higher form of evidence 👏 btw 17th century is over..
@cheese-crackers-q2k
April 6, 2026 at 10:40 pm
This is so important. Many people have a pro police/pro prosecution bias. It is difficult for them to doubt that the prosecutor could be wrong or overzealous. We can blame years of tv dramas equating prosecution with good and defense with evil. So having the most accurate and unbiased eye witness testimony is crucial to keep the innocent out of jail.
@Xavier-uknonada
April 7, 2026 at 9:49 am
I am going on 34 YEARS of police torture. Telling everyone that I was a rapist at 10 years old. Not even knowledgeable of puberty yet. They told all of schools and employers so they would kick me out. Blind hate for little black and brown boys. They should’ve been jailed for pedophilia for coming near me at 10 years old. Like others said, the usa wants grudges and convictions not the truth.
34 years and counting. No attorneys want to help
@Itsmaytoclopramide
April 7, 2026 at 10:59 am
Great video and insight. The takeaway also reinforce the message of “Be comfortable with the uncomfortable”. We need to take a step back and fixed the legal system and the people.
@Docfly62
April 7, 2026 at 11:42 am
Mr. Cotton received $110,000 from the state after his exoneration!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@ebensevenster
April 7, 2026 at 1:53 pm
No person should be convicted on a one person testimony.