Skeptic Check: Forget with the Program




Big Picture Science show

Summary: <p><span class="caps">ENCORE</span> Just remember this: memory is like Swiss cheese. Even our recollection of dramatic events that seem to sear their images directly onto our brain turn out to be riddled with errors. Discover the reliability of these emotional “flashbulb” memories.</p> <p>Also, a judge questions the utility of eyewitness testimony in court. And, don’t blame Google for destroying your powers of recall! Socrates thought the same thing about the written word.</p> <p>Plus, Brains on Vacation!</p> <h2>Guests:</h2> <ul> <li> <strong><a href="http://www.slate.com/authors.phil_plait.html">Phil Plait</a></strong> – Astronomer, Skeptic, and author of Slate Magazine’s blog <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html">Bad Astronomy</a> </li> <li> <strong><a href="http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~cestark/members/cstark/index.html">Craig Stark</a></strong> – Neurobiologist, Director for the <a href="http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~cestark/">Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory</a> at Univeristy of California, Irvine</li> <li> <strong><a href="http://www.sartconference.com/Articles/RonReinstein_files/RonReinstein.pdf">Ronald Reinstein</a></strong> – Former judge on the Superior Court of Arizona and judicial consultant for the Arizona Supreme Court</li> <li> <strong><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/cu/psychology/fac-bios/SparrowB/faculty.html">Betsy Sparrow</a></strong> – Psychologist, Columbia University</li> </ul><p><strong><a href="http://www.seti.cl/podcast-del-instituto-seti-revision-esceptica-olvida-con-el-programa/">Descripción en español</a></strong></p> <p>First released May 7, 2012</p>