In 2004, the FBI wrongly linked American lawyer Brandon Mayfield to the Madrid train bombings through a fingerprint. In 2006, Itiel Dror showed five seasoned examiners prints they themselves had declared a match years earlier, while leading them to believe these were the Mayfield prints. Four of the five changed their verdict. Context, more than the print itself, had steered their eyes.
Remembering is not replaying a recording — it is rebuilding. Each time you recall a memory, it becomes temporarily malleable and can be altered before being stored again. That is why two people can sincerely remember the same event… differently.
In 2003, Johnson and Goldstein compared European countries. Where you must tick a box to become a donor, consent rates ranged from 4% to 28%. Where you're a donor by default unless you opt out, they topped 85%. People aren't more generous on one side; most simply stick with whatever option was chosen for them.