Helen Paterson, an associate professor of forensic psychology at the University of Sydney, has been honored with prestigious Eureka prizes for her research into how memory functions in police and court contexts. Her work distinguishes between recollections of single, isolated incidents—such as a purse snatch—and repeated or ongoing events like domestic violence, showing that witnesses of repeated events tend to recall broader, gist-like details rather than specific facts. The study highlights how these differences can influence the accuracy and reliability of testimony, offering valuable insights for legal practitioners. Paterson’s findings underscore the importance of tailoring investigative and judicial procedures to the nature of the event being reported.
Helen Paterson’s work on advancing how police and courts understand memory is recognised in prestigious Eureka prizesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMemory is an imperfect thing: research shows that recollections of single events – a purse being snatched, say – differ to those about repeated or ongoing events, such as incidents of domestic and family violence.“What our research shows is that compared to a single-event witness, a repeated-event witness tends to report more gist-like details, the overall details of what typically would happen, and the things that remain constant between the episodes,” said Helen Paterson, an associate professor in forensic psychology at the University of Sydney. Continue reading...
