Classic Evidence: Loftus and Palmer (1974) - Conclusions

Question 1

What Do Loftus And Palmer’s Findings Indicate?

Answer 1

The findings indicate that the form of a question can systematically affect a witness’s answer to that question.

Question 2

What Are The Two Explanations For The Findings Of Loftus And Palmer’s Experiment?

Answer 2

1. Response-Bias Factors
2. The Memory Representation Is Altered

Question 3

What Does The Explanation ‘Response-Bias Factors’ Include/Mean?

Answer 3

The different speed estimates occur because the critical word influences or biases a person’s response.

Question 4

What Does The Explanation ‘The Memory Representation Is Altered’ Include/Mean?

Answer 4

The critical word changes a person’s memory so that their perception of the accident is affected.

Question 5

What Would We Expect To Happen If Explanation 2 Is Correct?

Answer 5

We would expect participants to ‘remember’ other details that are not true.

Question 6

What Experiment Relates To Explanation 2?

Answer 6

Experiment 2, Part 2.