When reading about the topic of false memories and and the misinformation effect I thought of a docu-series that I saw on netflix called ‘Unbelievable.’ The 2 season series is based on a true story about a serial rapist who crossed state lines and police departments in different areas were trying to find him. One report in particular reminded me of this story specifically because of one girl’s (Marie Adler) experience when talking to the police. When she first reported the incident, they obviously took notes and created the report. When they talked to her again, details of her story changed and there was conflict in some of the stuff she had originally said, which created an issue with the police. They continued to question her among several different people and each time her story was different, and this in the end led to her report being dismissed and the officers said she had made up the story for attention. In the second season, in a different state, another girl reported an incident that had happened to her and her story lined up each time she recounted it to police. As officers were investigating her case, in a different state, they had found the man who had committed the crime, and had found photos that he took of his victims. When they ran the photos through CODIS, the original case- with Marie Adler- had popped up because of the name and photo. The police then went back to Marie and had to apologize to her for saying that she made up her story.
I think this is a really good example of how eyewitness and false memories can have a really big impact on one’s experiences and life. In this case, a false memory was created when Marie was going through a traumatic experience because that was the brain’s way of protecting her.
The docu-series “Unbelievable” provides a fascinating example of how memory can be influenced by various factors. Marie Adler’s experience highlights the vulnerability of eyewitness testimony and the potential for false memories to arise, especially in traumatic situations. The initial inconsistencies in Marie’s story demonstrate the fallibility of memory and the misinformation effect. It is intriguing to see how the details of her account changed over time, which led the authorities to question her credibility. This case serves as a reminder that memory is not an infallible record but can be influenced by external information, suggestions, and personal biases. The contrasting experience of another girl in the second season, whose story remained consistent and ultimately led to the identification of the perpetrator, further emphasizes how complex memory is and its impact on investigations. Overall, I was fascinated by “Unbelievable” as well, and it provides an interesting take on memory, trauma, and the criminal justice system.