Blog post #6

An eye witness to a crime can be swayed by suggestive language either by other witnesses or also by law enforcement officers that can create memory construction.  Their testimony can also be wrong due to stress especially if the perpetrator is carrying a weapon. Their focus is more intent on the weapon that they are not really focusing on the person in front of them.  Some witnesses feel compelled or intimidated   to identify a perpetrator that they may incorrectly pick someone even if they are not completely sure due to the pressure. The professor incorporated false memories for some in the class when he made the suggestion that the burglar had a strong chin.

I think that jurors will still probably on eyewitness testimony especially if it is accompanied by other compelling evidence.  I think it is just human nature to believe that someone could not identify the person that was standing before them. The percentage of those that identified incorrectly was low enough that with the other evidence they should feel comfortable with the identification as with the woman at the end of the video. 

In the Lost Daughter I think that for Donna the power of suggestion, her trust in the professionals and the desire to please others was so overwhelming that sadly being so young and impressionable she succumbed to the pressure placed on her by the therapist.