Loftus and Palmer (1974)- Evaluation

Loftus and Palmer (1974)- Evaluation

1. Strengths

   • laboratory experiment had a high level of control over the procedures:
     • the critical questions were all randomly hidden amongst other distractor questions so the participants were not able to guess the study aim and display demand characteristics
     • For many of the films, the actual speed of the car was known to the researchers and they analysed whether actual speeds could have an affect on participants estimates.
   • the effect of leading questions has been confirmed by other studies e.g. Loftus and Zanni (1995)
   • It has applications for the police and justice system
   • By using estimates of speed, the researchers gathered quantitative data and so they did not have to interpret the data at all, which makes their study more objective

2. Weaknesses

   • we cannot be sure that witness testimony/memory was actually altered by the questions.
     • For instance, participants could have simply used the verb to make a guess about the speed of the car
   • The study was conducted in a laboratory setting- lack of ecological validity
   • Real participants would not be prepared for the incident or subsquent recall
   • no real consequences for decision-making of participants
     • e.g. affecting an police inquiry
   • Findings lack Validity- wouldn't have been under the same emotion strain