Evaluation of Loftus and palmer

Question 1

evaluation of the methodology and also the proceedures?

Answer 1

• He conducted his research by using experiments, as of this there is a clear cause and effect relationship by controlling the independent variable so, by deliberately manipulating the independent variable we can see the effect on the dependent variable and draw a casual conclusion.
• Although the participants may demonstrate demand characteristics, they may look at the surroundings and see it is a lab. They may change their answers to the questions, which may lead too a further effect on the cause and effect relationship, this might make it more difficult to be able to draw a casual conclusion.
• There may be some ecological validity, in the study they watched film clips of accidents, this may not be the same as being a witness of a real accident, they may not take the task seriously and/or they are not emotionally aroused in the way they might be in a real accident, as of this the findings may not be a good reperesentation of real life, for example foster et al found out that if participants thought they were watching a real life robbery, and also that there responses would influence the trial, the identification of the robber had been more accurate.
• The participants within the study they were all US college students, other groups of people may be more/or less prone too being affected by misleading information than others, for example: age differences. Eye witness testimony typically has two sources: from observing the event itself and from subsequent questions(misleading information). Scachter et al have further found that compared to younger subjects, elderley people have difficulty remembering a source as there information, even though the information itself is unimpaired. As a result they may become more prone to the effect of misleading questions when giving testimony