Join Dr. Trent Terrell for a primer on the systems and processes of human memory and how their reconstructive nature can be relevant to any criminal case involving eyewitnesses. The webinar will review the different steps in the memory process, how they come together into the Atkinson and Shiffrin Model of Memory, and how the resulting memories are reconstructions that should not be considered factually reliable without corroborating evidence.
- Introductory Overview
- Brief introduction of the presenter and his organization
- Statement of topics to be covered and anticipated takeaways
- An Introduction to Memory Cases
- A real-world case the presenter has worked on
- The two most common types of memory cases
- The Systems and Processes of Memory
- Sensory memory
- Short-term/working memory
- Long-term memory
- The Atkinson-Shiffrin model
- The Types of Forgetting
- Inattentional blindness
- Encoding and retrieval errors
- Loftus and Palmer’s seminal eyewitness memory experiment
- Putting It All Together
- Application to the case introduced
- All memory is reconstructive
- Questions & Answers
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Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 General
Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 General
Difficulty: All Levels
Status: Approved
Credits: 1.00 General
Status: Pending
Credits: TBD
This presentation is approved for one hour of General CLE credit in California, one hour of General CLE credit in South Carolina (all levels), and one hour of General CLE credit in North Carolina. An application for accreditation of this activity has been submitted to the MCLE Committee of the State Bar of Texas and is pending.
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At this time, Justia only offers CLE courses officially accredited in certain states. Lawyers may generate a generic attendance certificate to self-submit credit in their own jurisdiction, but Justia does not guarantee that lawyers will receive their desired CLE credit through the self-submission or reciprocity process.

Since 2010, Dr. Terrell has consulted and testified in criminal cases involving memory. Today he is a nationwide expert focusing on eyewitness identification cases, cases involving delayed outcries of sexual assault, and other cases in which a witness’ recollection of events is in question. As of May 2025, he has consulted in over 300 cases and testified in over 50, including death penalty murder cases and appeals overseen by the Innocence Project of Texas. Read More ›