Why We Make Makes Mistakes by Joseph T. Hallinan, Essay Example

Hallinan gives an example of how we may not remember clearly of our own actions. This verifies the lack in reliability in a person’s memory. The example given in chapter four of Hallinan’s book was of an individual saying something, and another individual recalling the same incident with the individual saying something else. This can be seen in the difference of language and the differences in wordings. People cannot really tell their own actions, and unintentionally we distort the record of ever doing things. Individuals are said to be prone to recall doing, saying and remembering things however this is seen in the light in which we would like to see it; not necessarily how it occurred. Hallinan clears this out by asking people to reflect on how they did in school, and he says that most people would probably answer that they did not do as well as they remembered. Studies showed that when researchers would check the responses as compared to the actual grades from the transcripts, many of the students’ recalled their grades wrong. This can be like how gamblers would remember their wins over their losses. People tend to unintentionally distort their memories to suit how they would like to view themselves. Therefore, the reliability of an individual remembering his or her own actions can be the same as how eyewitness testimonies are not that reliable.

When taking a multiple exam, students tend to stick to the first answer chosen even if they are not sure of it because it is the first one to trigger memory. Details in memory are said not to matter, but it is the recalling of how the answer may have looked like or sounded like that may be right. Students will stick to their first answer because it is more likely correct since it was the first to trigger something in the brain which says “I remember hearing/learning this”; so students would assume that it is correct.