Cognitive area: Loftus and Palmer Flashcards
What was the aim of the study?
To investigate the effect of language on memory (in particular, leading questions)
What was the research methods of Loftus and Palmer’s study?
Lab experiment and self report
What was the sample used in experiment one?
45 students from the University of Washington, Seattle.
What is a strength of Loftus and Palmer’s sample? (experiment one)
Good sample size
What were the weaknesses of Loftus and Palmer’s sample? (experiment one)
9 per group may not show consistent effect
What are the IV’s in experiment one?
Contacted, bumped, hit, collided, smashed
What is the DV in experiment one?
Speed estimate
How many film clips were shown in experiment one?
7
How long was each film clip in experiment one?
5 - 30 seconds
How many of the clips in experiment one contained car crashes and what was the purpose of this?
4 of them in order to reduce order effects
Where were the films sourced from and what type of video were they? (experiment one)
Seattle Police Department safety promotion videos
After each video what were P’s asked to do? (experiment one)
Give an account of what they had just seen
After giving an account of what they had just seen what did P’s have to do?
Answer a set of questions (including a speed estimate)
What was the mean speed estimate for ‘smashed’ condition?
40.8mph
What was the mean speed estimate for ‘collided’ condition?
39.3mph
What was the mean speed estimate for ‘bumped’ condition?
38.1mph
What was the mean speed estimate for ‘hit’ condition?
34.0mph
What was the mean speed estimate for ‘contacted’ condition?
31.8mph
What type of data was collected in experiment 1?
Ordinal
Conclusion: P’s aren’t good at…..
Estimating the speed of moving vehicles
Conclusion: Intensity of the verb…..
Impacts speed estimates
What affect did the leading questions have on P’s memory?
It altered it
Outline how the P’s exhibited response bias
The wording of the question caused P’s to alter their answer to what they actually believed
What was the experimental design used in experiment 2?
Independent measures
Describe the sample used in experiment 2
150 students split into 3 groups of 50
What were the 3 conditions for the IV in experiment 2?
Smashed
Hit
Control group
What was the DV in experiment 2?
Speed estimates
Whether broken glass was reported or not
What were participants required to do on the first day? (experiment 2)
To watch the film and then fill in the questionnaires
What did the first questionnaire ask? (experiment 2)
To describe the accident and then answer a series of questions
What was the critical question from experiment 2?
‘About how fast were the cars going when they hit/smashed into each other?’
When did P’s return to complete part 2 of experiment 2?
One week later
What did P’s have to do in part 2 of experiment 2?
Fill out a questionnarie
What was the critical questions in part 2 of experiment 2?
‘Did you see any broken glass?’
What was the mean speed estimate for the ‘smashed’ condition? (experiment 2)
10.46mph
What was the mean speed estimate for the ‘hit’ condition? (experiment 2)
8mph
How many P’s in the ‘smashed’ condition stated that they could see broken glass? (experiment 2)
16 out of 50
How many P’s in the ‘hit’ condition stated that they could see broken glass? (experiment 2)
7 out of 50
How many P’s in the control group stated that they could see broken glass? (experiment 2)
6 out of 50
What two things did Loftus and Palmer conclude that word use will affect?
Speed estimates and affects p’s thinking of seeing broken glass
What did Loftus and Palmer conclude that use of a more intensive verb will affect?
More intensive verb = higher speed and more likely to report broken glass
What is Loftus and Palmer’s study a good piece of evidence for?
Reconstructive memory
What 2 things did Loftus and Palmer propose memory is made up of?
Info from the original scene
Post-event info
How did Loftus and Palmer uphold protection from harm?
Clips shown did not show gruesome or distressing images
How did they break consent?
P’s weren’t fully aware of the experiment and believed it to be purely about memory
How did they break the ethical guideline of deception?
There was mild deception about hypothesis as filler questions were used
Was the study internally reliable? (standardised procedure and replicable)
Yes - high level controls and standardised instructions make it replicable
Was the sample large enough to suggest a consistent effect? (external reliability)
Study 1 - No, only 9 in each group
Study 2 - Yes, 50 in each group
What type of validity did the study lack?
Internal and ecological
Why did the study lack internal validity?
P’s knew they were in a study so may have answered yes as they thought that’s what they were supposed to say
