Cognitive Classic Evidence

Question 1

What is the classic research within the cognitive approach refers?

Answer 1

Reconstruction of automobile destruction: an example of the interaction between language and memory

Question 2

Who were the researchers within the cognitive research

Answer 2

Loftus and Palmer (1974)

Question 3

What were Loftus and Palmer investigating?

Answer 3

The effects of leading questions on eye-witnesses memory

Question 4

What are leading questions?

Answer 4

A question that suggests to the eye-witness what answer is desired or leads them to the desired answer

Question 5

What is an eye-witness testimony?

Answer 5

Witnesses of a crime asked to give evidence in court

Question 6

What was the aim of experiment one within Loftus and Palmer’s research?

Answer 6

To investigate if the speed estimates of participants were influenced by the verbs used i the questions aske

Question 7

What was the aim of experiment two within Loftus and Palmer’s research?

Answer 7

To investigate whether leading questions simply bias a person’s response or actually alter the memory that is stored

Question 8

What is the research method used in experiment one?

Answer 8

Lab experiment

Question 9

What is the experimental design used in experiment one?

Answer 9

Independent groups

Question 10

What is the sample used in experiment one?

Answer 10

45 students

Question 11

What is the sampling method used in experiment one?

Answer 11

Opportunity sample

Question 12

What is the procedure of experiment one?

Answer 12

• Students spilt into 5 groups, 9 in each one
• All groups shown the same 7 clips of car accidents
• All students filled a questionnaire with the critical question ‘How fast were the cars going when they …. each other’
• The 5 verbs used were ‘hit, smashed, collided, bumped and contacted’
• Speed estimates were recorded in mph

Question 13

What was the leading question in experiment one?

Answer 13

‘How fast were the cars going when they …. each other?’

Question 14

What were the verbs used in experiment one?

Answer 14

hit, smashed, collided, bumped and contacted

Question 15

What was a summary of the findings of experiment one?

Answer 15

• ‘Smashed’ - estimated a mean speed of 40.8 mph
• ‘Contacted’ - estimated a mean speed of 31.8 mph
• Memory is not always reliable and can be distorted by leading questions

Question 16

What were the conclusions of experiment one?

Answer 16

• The speed estimates given by participants is because of the critical verb which influenced their response
• Results could be due to critical word changing the participants memory so the accident is recalled differently

Question 17

What is the research method used in experiment two?

Answer 17

Lab experiment

Question 18

What is the experimental design used in experiment two?

Answer 18

Independent groups

Question 19

What is the sample used in experiment two?

Answer 19

150 students

Question 20

What is the sampling method used in experiment one?

Answer 20

Opportunity

Question 21

What is the sampling method used in experiment two?

Answer 21

• Students split into 3 groups, 50 in each
• Shown a short film that showed a multi-vehicle accident and were asked questions about it

Question 22

What question was each of the three groups asked about the multi-vehicle car accident in experiment two?

Answer 22

Group 1 - ‘How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?’
Group 2 - ‘How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?’
Group 3 - Were not asked any questions about he speed of the vehicles

Question 23

What were the participants in experiment two asked a week later?

Answer 23

‘Did you see any broken glass?’
There was no glass

Question 24

What was a summary of the findings of experiment two?

Answer 24

• ‘Smashed’ condition were more than 2x as likely to report seeing broken glass than those in the ‘hit’ or no questions category
• 31% reported seeing glass in ‘smash’
• 14% reported seeing glass in ‘hit’

Question 25

What were the conclusions of experiment two?

Answer 25

• The effects of leading questions is due to memory being altered
• Severity of the verb used in the leading question altered the perception of the severity of the crash
• Post event information integrates the original perception of leading questions to reconstruction between memory

Question 26

What is a strength in methodology of the experiment?

Answer 26

Research method (lab experiment) - internal validity was high due to controlled environment allowing a cause and effect relationship to be established

Question 27

What is a weakness in methodology of the experiment?

Answer 27

Ecological validity - participants watching videos of car accidents therefore not as realistic as watching in real life

Question 28

What is a weakness in the sample of the experiment?

Answer 28

Population

Question 29

What is a weakness of ethics within the study?

Answer 29

Deception - participants never told the aims of the study and therefore could not consent fully
Right to withdraw - Loftus was a professor at the university of the student therefore they may have felt obliged to take part

Question 30

What were the social implications of Loftus and Palmers (1974) study?

Answer 30

Law - knowledge to avoid the use of leading questions in interviews to stop misjustice
Economy - avoids false accusations in prison (£124 billion per year)