cognitive area ( Loftus and palmer)

Question 1

background

Answer 1

Our memory is not like a film where the event is played back exactly as it happened.

Instead we reconstruct the event. This reconstruction is affected by our past experiences and pre-existing beliefs about what typically might happen

Question 2

Reconstructive memory

Answer 2

our memory is not like a video tape replaying exactly what happened. Instead, whenever we remember something, we reconstruct the event in our mind (so our memory can be distorted)

Question 3

Schema theory

Answer 3

Schemas are mental representations of what usually happens in different situations (based on our past experiences). They allow us to make sense of the world.

Question 4

Leading questions

Answer 4

when a question is asked in a way that pushes a person into giving a particular answer.

Question 5

aims

Answer 5

The aim of the Loftus and Palmer study was to investigate the effect of language (in particular leading questions) on memory.

Question 6

experiment 1

Answer 6

Participants watched video clips which included staged car crashes.
Following the clip, they were given a questionnaire which included several smokescreen questions to disguise the aim, and the critical question
About how fast were the cars going when they ___________ each other?’

Question 7

experiment 1 iv and dv

Answer 7

IV- Which verb was used in the critical question:
Smashed, bumped, collided, hit, or contacted
DV-the estimated speed (mph)

Question 8

explanation 1

Answer 8

response bias - Participants were not sure whether to say 30 or 40mph but the verb smashed biased them towards giving a higher estimate.

Question 9

explanation 2

Answer 9

the verb affected their memory - The verb used caused a change in the participants’ memory for the event so “smashed” led them to remember the event as being more serious than it was.

Question 10

experiment 2

Answer 10

A new set of participants watched one video clip containing a multiple car crash.
Following the clip, they were given a questionnaire which included several smokescreen questions to disguise the aim, and the critical question
About how fast were the cars going when they ___________ each other?’

Question 11

experiment 2 IV DV

Answer 11

IV- One group heard the word smashed, another heard the word hit, and a third group acted as a control and were not asked about the speed.
DV- whether they reported seeing broken glass in the video clip when asked about it a week later