EWT: MISLEADING INFORMATION Flashcards
1
Q
leading question
A
- is a question which suggests the desired answer by the way it is phrased.
- Leading questions can affect EWT in 2 ways response bias, and substitution.
2
Q
Response bias
A
- suggests the wording of the question has ‘no real effect’ on the participants’ memories.
- It simply encourages them to report their answer in a particular manner.
3
Q
Substitution
A
- suggests that the wording of the question can in fact alter the memory of the eyewitness-
- may report seeing/hearing something they actually didn’t see
4
Q
LOFTUS AND PALMER PARTICAPANTS
A
45 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS, SIMILAR AGE, SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS
5
Q
loftus and palmer procedure
A
- students were split into 5 groups and were shown clips of car accidents.
- They asked about the speed of the cars.
- The critical verbs varied between the groups: ‘contacted’ and ‘smashed’.
6
Q
WHAT DID L & P FIND
A
- They found that the mean estimated speed was 32 mph for ‘contacted’ and 40.5 mph for ‘smashed’.
- In addition, in part 2 of the study all participants returned and were asked ‘Did you see the broken glass?’
- They found that more participants in the ‘smashed’ condition reported seeing glass than in the ‘hit’ condition (16 in the smashed condition compared to 7 in the hit condition).
7
Q
One advantage of Loftus’ research is that the study has been further supported.
A
- For example, Braun et al asked college students to evaluate advertising material about Disneyland. Embedded into the advertising material was misleading information about Bugs Bunny (who is in fact not a disney character).
- This study shows how misleading information can create an inaccurate memory which is similar to the false memory of the broken glass.
- This is an advantage as it shows us that Loftus’ research is reliable as real memories were altered due to the misleading information
8
Q
One disadvantage of Loftus’ research is that it uses artificial stimuli and settings.
A
- For example, Foster et al found that if participants thought they were watching a real life robbery and that their response would influence the outcome of the trial then their identification of the robber was more accurate.
- Furthermore, Yuille and Cutshall found eyewitnesses who gave accurate details of the real life robberywhen interviewed 4 months later.
- This is a disadvantage as his findings are not representative of real life as they used artificial settings- IRL accuracy is far greater.
9
Q
One disadvantage of Loftus’ research is that individual differences may mean some people are more vulnerable to misleading information.
A
- For example, research has found that compared to younger people, elderly witnesses have more difficulty remembering the source of the information they can recall.
- This might impact research into EWT conducted in lab settings if researchers only target student-populations.
- This is a disadvantage as we cannot generalise the findings from the research conducted to the wider population, nor can we gain an accurate understanding of the impact of misleading questions.
- In addition lab experiments aren’t representative of real life situations due to high amounts of control, making the study unrealistic due to participants focusing all their attention on details of the clips whereas in real life this wouldn’t be the case.
10
Q
One disadvantage of Loftus’ study is that the findings may have been due to demand characteristics.
A
- Some researchers argue that many answers participants give in lab experiments are due to the fact that participants would have tried to guess the aim and want to help the researcher to make themselves appear more helpful.
- When asked a question they don’t know the answer to they are more likely to agreeas it appears more helpful, even if yes is the wrong answer.
- This is a disadvantage as it questions the validity of the research, as we cannot be sure that the results are true.
