The senses and memory

This article describes how the mind processes traumatic situations.  Specifically, it deals with rape victims, who, evidence suggests, struggle to remember their experience in a standard, linear way.  However, the assault puts the amygdala into high gear, so victims often recall specific sensory details associated with the experience.

The helps to explain why many police officers therefore don’t believe sexual assault victims -- police are accustomed to more standard narratives of A led to B led to C.

The article discusses techniques that the military and some law enforcement consultants now are using to leverage those sensory images.

This also may explain why, in market research, people's narratives are not always “logical” or “rational”  -- or, at least, they might not seem that way to a researcher or client.  However, this does not make the consumer perspective any less valid or true.