Classic study - Loftus and Palmer (1974) Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the aim of the Loftus and Palmer classic study?

A

To test the idea that misleading information distorts eyewitness testimony accounts (episodic memories)

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2
Q

What is the methodology of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)

A

Lab experiment (Independent measures design)

45 American university students

IV: 5 Conditions: Intensity of verb (smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted)

DV: Estimate of speed (mph)

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3
Q

What was the procedure of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Saw 7 films of traffic accidents

Asked to write an account of what they saw

Also asked questions in a questionnaire – The critical one being: ‘How fast were the cars going when they _____ each other?

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4
Q

What were the results of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)

A

Verb: Smashed
Mean estimate speed (mph): 40.5

Verb: Contacted
Mean estimate speed (mph): 31.8

As the intensity of the verb increased, the estimate of speed also increased

The verb gives an impression of the speed the car was travelling

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5
Q

What is the methodology of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)

A

Lab experiment (Independent measures design)

150 students

IV: Intensity of verb

DV: Whether Broken glass was ‘seen’ or not.

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6
Q

What was the procedure of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (5 points)

A

Film of car traffic accident – one minute in length

Account written and questions asked again

Question being: ‘How fast were the cars going when they _____ each other?

Only 3 conditions - Smashed, Hit and a control group (no question)

A week later, answered a questionnaire with critical question – ‘Did you see any broken glass – yes or no?’

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7
Q

What were the results of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 data points and 1 point)

A

Proportion of people who said Yes:
Smashed: 16/50
Hit: 7/50
Control (no speed Q): 6/50

More people in the Smashed condition remembered broken glass - no broken glass in reality

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8
Q

What were the conclusions of both experiments of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Experiment 1:
+ The verb gave expectations about the speed and details of the crash
+ Memories of events are distorted by leading questions post-event

Experiment 2:
False memories can be made

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9
Q

How generalisable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Study’s sample lacks generalisability because 45 (Experiment 1) & 150 (Experiment 2) American undergraduate students were used

It could be more difficult for a student to accurately judge the speed of a car when they don’t have much experience driving

Therefore, the study is not representative of how older, more experienced drivers will respond to misleading information regarding driving

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10
Q

How reliable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Standardised procedure - all participants:
+ Watched the same video clip of the car crash from the same angle
+ Were given the questionnaire with the same delivery (tone and volume)

Allows for the consistency of the results to be tested, therefore improving reliability

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11
Q

How applicable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Loftus and Palmer concluded that misleading information could easily distort episodic memories (Experiment 1) and even make false memories (experiment 2)

These conclusions have been used to create useful real-world applications such as the Cognitive Interview - used by police to increase the accuracy of recall

The first component is Free recall/Report everything where leading, closed questions are avoided - has improved society and the lives of individuals

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12
Q

How internally valid is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Increased internal validity - the cause (verb) and effect (speed) are high

Loftus & Palmer inserted the critical question amongst other distractor questions about the car crash in the questionnaire - prevented demand characteristics from being elicited

No researcher bias - no subjective interpretation of quantitative DVs by the researcher, making the findings objective

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13
Q

How ecologically valid is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Low ecological validity

Watching film clips of car accidents is a very different experience from witnessing a real accident, mainly because of the lack of stress and emotional response

Interviews would usually be undertaken to collect eyewitness testimonies - the study lacks real-life applications

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14
Q

How ethical was the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)

A

Participants were deceived by not being told the true aim of the study

However, this prevented demand characteristics, increasing the study’s validity

Participants were debriefed and told the true aims at the end of the study

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