16 Loftus

Question 1

Thanks for the Memories Year

Answer 1

1975

Question 2

Thanks for the Memories Author

Answer 2

Loftus

Question 3

Thanks for the Memories Background/Theory (3 things)

Answer 3

(1) Loftus is an expert in human memory.
(2) Most people think of memories as stable, but She maintains that memories are not stable and that they are malleable and changeable over time.
(3) Loftus’s studies focus on the power of questions containing presuppositions to alter a person’s memory of an event.

Question 4

Thanks for the Memories White Car Experiment Method/Results (3 things)

Answer 4

(1) Participants were shown a video of an accident involving a white sports car.
(2) Half of participants were asked “How fast was the white sports car going when it passed the barn while traveling along the country road?” and the other half were asked “How fast was the sports car while traveling along the country road?”
(3) A week later they were asked, “Did you see a barn?” 17.3% of the first group said yes and 2.7% of the second group said yes.

Question 5

Thanks for the Memories Baby Carriage Experiment Method/Results (3 things)

Answer 5

(1) Video of a car hitting a baby carriage.
(2) 3 Groups: Direct Questions Group, Presuppositional Questions Group. and a Control Groups.
(3) A week later all participants returned and answered 20 new questions about the film, 5 of which were the direct questions about seeing the objects. A lot of the presupposition group reported seeing the objects, some of the direct-question group, and only a few of the control group.

Question 6

Thanks for the Memories Significance (2 things)

Answer 6

(1) Based on these findings, Loftus argued that an accurate theory of memory and recall must include a process of reconstruction when new information is integrated into the original memory of an event.
(2) Loftus pointed out that witnesses to a crime are often questioned more than once, and it’s likely that false presuppositions will be made during this process.

Question 7

Thanks for the Memories Legacy (3 things)

Answer 7

(1) Research: Participants who are asked questions worded in a confusing way (“Is it not true that . . . “) provide less accurate eye witness reports are are less confident in their answers than those who are asked straightforward questions.
(2) Research: Eyewitnesses shown more than one video lineup are less accurate as they are incorporating new faces into the reconstruciton of the original event.
(3) Research: “A number of psychological variables that have been shown to correlate with susceptibility to false memories (e.g. hypnotic susceptibility, tendency to dissociate, etc.) also correlate with the tendency to report paranormal experiences.