Continuing & Professional Studies, Palo Alto University

This webinar on Suggestibility and Confabulation: An Advanced Overview is presented by Jerrod Brown, PhD.

Two distinct distortions are suggestibility and confabulation. Suggestibility is defined as the acceptance of inaccurate information from an external source as truth, which is subsequently integrated into memory. In contrast, confabulation is the generation of a new memory to fill an existing gap in memory. Both types of memory distortions can be minor or major in magnitude and caused by individual-level (e.g., cognitive deficits) and environmental-level (e.g., intimidating situations) characteristics. In particular, forensic and legal settings are beset by conditions like repeated and leading questions and tense situations that increase the risk of memory distortions. This webinar is designed to increase awareness of suggestibility and confabulation among professionals working in forensic and legal settings. Topics covered include defining and distinguishing suggestibility and confabulation, reviewing the etiology of these distortions, and discussing the consequences of suggestibility and confabulation in criminal justice, forensic mental health, and legal settings.