Flashcards
Loftus & Palmer Study
Cards in this deck (10)
- 1Loftus & Palmer BackgroundWanted to investigate eyewitness testimony to see whether it is less accurate than we would like to believe
- 2Loftus & Palmer AimTo investigate the effect of questioning on witness memory of a car crash
- 3EXPT 1 Sample45 students
- 4EXPT 1 Method• Shown 7 films of car crashes used by Seattle police Department
• In 4 – speed known
• Different verbs used to describe crash: E.g. How fast were the cars going when they HIT each other? - 5EXPT 1 Results• Ps estimates not affected by actual speeds. Shows we are poor at estimating speeds
AS = 20 ES = 37.7
AS = 40 ES = 36.1
• Estimated car speeds varied according to the verb used
Smashed = 40.5
Hit = 34.0
Contacted = 31.8 - 6EXPT 1 Conclusions2 possible reasons for varied speeds due to verbs used:
1) Response Bias = When a P is unclear what speed to estimate, verb gives clue whether high or low
2) Memory Distortion = Verb used in question alters memory of crash - 7EXPT 2 Sample150 students
- 8EXPT 2 Method• Watched car crash video (1 min)
• Given questionnaire to describe event and answer questions
• 50 ps asked – ‘How fast was the cars going when they HIT into each other’
• 50ps ‘SMASHED’
• 50ps not asked question about speed (control)
• Week later – ps asked 10 questions. Main qu = “Did you see any broken glass?” - 9EXPT 2 Results• Ps who heard ‘smashed’ guessed higher speed than ‘hit’’ (10.46mph – 8.0mph)
• More than twice as many people incorrectly remembered seeing glass when heard ‘smashed’ than ‘hit’
Response Smashed Hit Control
Yes 16 7 6
No 34 43 44 - 10EXPT 2 Conclusions• The way questions are worded can affect way in which memories are remembered
• Results suggest not simply due to response bias. Post-event questions become part of memory for that event. The wording of questions can distort event memory.
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- A level Psychology (Cognitive core studies) Flashcards on Loftus & Palmer Study, created by Millie Rodgers on 19/04/2017.
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- Millie Rodgers
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