Loftus

Loftus

1. Aim: To provide support for the weapon focus effect when witnessing a crime

2. Shown 18 slides of a robbery in a Taco Time restaurant

   • Presentation was the same for both groups except one slide
     • Control group = person has a cheque in their hands
       • Experimental group = person carries a gun

3. Recognition of the person was measured by a twenty question multiple choice questionnaire

   • Ps were shown 12 photos in random sequence and asked to rate how confident they are on the identification on a scale of 1-6

4. Control condition = 38.9% made a correct identification

   • Experimental condition = 11.1% made a correct identification

5. The ps spent longer looking at the weapon and therefore had more difficulty picking out the suspect from a line up