Scott Fraser is a forensic psychologist who thinks deeply about the fallibility of human memory and encourages a more scientific approach to trial evidence.Fraser studies how humans remember crimes — and bear witness to them. In this powerful talk, which focuses on a deadly shooting at sunset, he suggests that even close-up eyewitnesses to a crime can create "memories" they could not have seen. Why? Because the brain abhors a vacuum.
This is relevant to 12 Angry Men, in that 12 jurors are brought in and asked to decide the innocence or guilt of a man involved in a stabbing. These men are provided evidence from witnesses, and then meet together to come up with a unanimous decision. The ultimate decision relies on the accuracy of the witnesses. The States's case relied solely upon the testimony of an old man who supposedly saw heard the defendant saying "I'm going to kill you" to the victim , and then heard a body drop and saw the defendant running down the stairs. Their case also sat upon the testimony of a woman who saw the murder that took place across the street, while she was and bed, and saw it through a trains windows.One of the jurors break's down both stories and uncovers that the witnesses didn't see what the think they saw.