LOFTUS AND PALMER 1974

LOFTUS AND PALMER 1974

1. AIM

   • To find out whether misleading information distorted the accuray of eyewittness testimoy (EWT).

2. EXPERIMENT 2

   • PROCEDURE
     • A new set of particepants were divided into three groups and shown a film of a car accedent lasting one minuet.
       • There was 3 groups.
         • Group 1 was given the verb 'smashed'.
         • Group 2 was given the verd 'hit'.
         • Group 3 was the CONTROL GROUP. Te had no questions regarding the speed of the vehircles.
         • The particepents returned a week later and answered a seris of 10 questions.
           • The critial question was 'Did you see any broken glass?'
             • There was no broken glass in the film. However the particepants who believed the car was travelling fater migt of expected that tere would be broken glass.
   • FINDINGS
     • Particepants gace higher speed estimations in the 'smashed' condition, as before. They were also more likley to think they was broken glass.

3. EXPERIMENT 1

   • PROCEDURE
     • 45 students were shown films of different traffic accidents.
       • After each film the particepants completed questionnaires, they had to descirbe the accident and then answer a set of speific questions about it.
         • There was one CRITICAL QUESTION. The question was 'About how fast were te cars going when they hit eachother?'
           • The verb in the 'critical question' was changed and 5 group of particepants each recived a different verb. The verbs where 'smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted'. These verbs are the misleadning information.
   • FINDINGS
     • The average speed estimated was calculated for each group.
       • 'Smashed' = 40.8
       • 'Colided' = 39.3
       • 'Bumped' = 38.1
       • 'Contacted' = 31.8
       • 'Hit' = 34