Dungeoning & Forensic Psychology
The map to a dungeon is a testimony . Someone went there, saw things and wrote/drew them on paper. But memory is a feeble thing, especially under dire circumstances, and I'm willing to assert that walking through a creepy underground system qualifies as something stressful. So, a map can be wrong, maybe not all of it , but some parts. There is a branch of forensic psychology that studies why testimony given in court or to the police can be inaccurate, and there is more to it than blatant lies or bad memory . What follows is the application of that knowledge to dungeoning, in particular to dungeoning in possession of a map of your destination. (More on the why of this article at the end). Art by Jack Ó Dónail A map inaccurate Here is a list of reasons for memory inaccuracies derived from psychology studies: Blatant lies. Misinformation effect (someone or something unwillingly contaminated the witness' memory with their own bias). Poor vision or viewing conditions (sounds fam
