Abstract

In this necessarily brief overview of psychological research on cognitive processes in testimony, I report their potential negative influence on the accuracy of witness reports, and the consequences on the validity of testimony as evidence in a court of law. While perception and memory processes can interfere with the accuracy of the content of witness reports, reasoning processes can easily lead to decisions that are not fully rational, being affected by variables outside of one’s conscious awareness. Some of the risks involved are described, briefly discussing their effect on the principles of immediacy and orality, and highlighting the importance of correct interviewing techniques, as well as the necessity to become aware of the most common reasoning fallacies, as protective factors.