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Impact on the legal system of the generalizability crisis in psychology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2022

Chris R. Brewin Open the ORCID record for Chris R. Brewin [Opens in a new window]
Chris R. Brewin*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical, Educational & Heatlh Psychology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK c.brewin@ucl.ac.uk
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Abstract

Overgeneralizations by psychologists of the research evidence on memory and eyewitness testimony, such as “memory decays with time” or “memories are fluid and malleable,” are beginning to appear in legal judgements and guidance documents, accompanied by unwarranted disparagement of lay beliefs about memory. These overgeneralizations could have significant adverse consequences for the conduct of civil and criminal law.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e7
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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