Loftus & Palmer (1974)

Loftus & Palmer (1974)

1. Experiment 1

   • Investigate whether the use of leading questions would effect estimation of speed.
   • "Hit" and "smashed have different connotations and would activate different cognitive schemas about the severity of the accident
   • Prediction: "smashed" results in higher estimation of speed than "hit.
   • IV - different words
   • DV - estimation of speed
   • 45 students
     • Each was shown 7 (5-30s) videos
       • Drivers ed.
   • Questionnaire
     • 1 critical question
       • Speed when they .......
   • • Response Bias?
       • "Smashed" activates a cognitive schema of a severe accident
         • Distortion of memory
           • Barlett (1932)
   • Lab, low ecological validity
     • Not the same kind of emotion as real accident
   • sample not representative
     • Young, inexperienced drivers
   • controlled confounding variables
     • could establish true cause and effect

2. Experiment 2

   • Investigate if participants who had a high speed estimate in 1. would say that they had seen broken glass in 2.
   • 150 students
     • Shown 1min film
       • Multiple car crash
   • Questionnaire
     • 50 - Speed when hit
     • 50 - speed when smashed
     • 50 - control
   • week later, 10q's - Did you see broken glass?
   • People with higher speed estimation - more likely to have "seen" broken glass
     • Barlett's reconstructive memory
   • No ecological validity
     • Hard to generalize
   • Forced choice
     • Influences memory

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