Myths can have a pervasive influence on our behaviour. Take, for instance, the myth that we only use 10% of our brain capacity. Many Hollywood movies revolve around this erroneous idea. However, myths can have truly dramatic consequences when they enter the forensic context, where they can lead to miscarriages of justice. In this series, experts working in the forensic arena will talk about myths that frequently appear in the legal arena. For example, experts will talk about the usefulness of the polygraph in court and discuss whether people can truly repress memories. Other experts will talk about the idea of people with photographic memories and discuss whether psychopaths are really untreatable. Knowledge about these myths is vital to people working in forensics, and to all of us. The forensic experts will show that many of these myths originate in situations that occur in our daily lives.

The individual lectures
1. Memory Myths in the Forensic Arena (Otgaar / 17 Jan)
2. Let me tell you the Truth about Lying (Bogaard / 24 Jan)
3. The Myth of Repressed Memory (Raymaekers / 7 Feb)
4. ‘I can’t Remember your Honour’: Is Memory Loss for an Offense Possible? (Jelicic / 21 Feb)
5. What do you and a Psychopath have in Common? (Bernstein / 28 Feb)