Core studies

Question 1

COGNITIVE:

LOFTUS AND PALMER: (experiment 1):
- BACKGROUND
- AIM
- SAMPLE
- SAMPLING
- METHOD
- DESIGN
- PROCEDURE
- RESULTS
- CONCLUSION

Answer 1

Background: NON

Aim (experiment 1): To test their hypothesis that the language used in eyewitness testimony can alter memory

Sample (experiment 1): Forty-five American students from the University of Washington

Sampling (experiment 1): Opportunity

Method (experiment 1): Lab experiment

Design (experiment 1): Independent measures

Procedure (experiment 1): 7 films of traffic accidents, ranging in duration from 5 to 30 seconds, were presented in a random order to each group. After watching the film participants were asked to describe what had happened as if they were eyewitnesses. They were then asked specific questions, including the question “About how fast were the cars going when they (smashed / collided / bumped / hit / contacted) each other?” Thus, the IV was the wording of the question and the DV was the speed reported by the participants.

Results (experiment 1): The estimated speed was affected by the verb used. The verb implied information about the speed, which systematically affected the participants’ memory of the accident. Participants who were asked the “smashed” question thought the cars were going faster than those who were asked the “hit” question. The participants in the “smashed” condition reported the highest speed estimate (40.8 mph), followed by “collided” (39.3 mph), “bumped” (38.1 mph), “hit” (34 mph), and “contacted” (31.8 mph) in descending order.

Conclusion (experiment 1): The results show that the verb conveyed an impression of the speed the car was traveling and this altered the participants” perceptions.

In other words, eyewitness testimony might be biased by the way questions are asked after a crime is committed. Loftus and Palmer offer two possible explanations for this result:

Response-bias factors: The misleading information provided may have simply influenced the answer a person gave (a “response-bias”) but didn’t actually lead to a false memory of the event. For example, the different speed estimates occur because the critical word (e.g. “smash” or “hit”) influences or biases a person’s response. The memory representation is altered: The critical verb changes a person’s perception of the accident – some critical words would lead someone to have a perception of the accident being more serious. This perception is then stored in a person’s memory of the event

Question 2

COGNITIVE:

LOFTUS AND PALMER: (experiment 2):
- BACKGROUND
- AIM
- SAMPLE
- SAMPLING
- METHOD
- DESIGN
- PROCEDURE
- RESULTS
- CONCLUSION

Answer 2

Background (experiment 2): NON

Aim (experiment2): Investigating is leading questions simply create a response bias, or if they actually alter a person’s memory representation

Sample (experiment 2): 150 students