Eyewitness Testimony Flashcards
Is memory an exact copy of what happened?
No
Retrieval involves _______
Active reconstruction
Define: active reconstruction
In retrieval, we retrieve some exact details, as well as details that are plausible (based on our beliefs, values or expectations).
Define: leading question
a question that is phrased in such a way as to suggest or lead to the desired answer
leading questions contain presuppositions. Define: presupposition
information that should/must be true in order for the question to make sense.
What happened in the first Loftus and Palmer Study?
45 volunteer uni students were allocated to 5 conditions; watched 7 clips of car accidents and were asked many questions (like an eyewitness testimony). They were asked the critical question: “About how fast were the cars going then they [smashed into/collided with/bumped into/hit/contacted] each other?”
Resutls about the first Loftus and Palmer study?
The more intense the verb, the faster the estimation the speed.
Conclusion/explanation for results of Loftus and Palmer’s first study?
REconstructed memory made, from some exact details of the crash with their expectations of the presupposition in the leading question. THis lead them to give faster/slower estimated speeds.
What happened in Loftus and Palmer’s second study?
150 uni students watched car crash clip and randomly allocated to 3 groups: being asked “About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into/hit each other” or being asked nothing.
A week later, they were asked multiple questions including “Did you see any broken glass?” and there was none.
Results of the second experiment?
16 in “smashed into” condition saw glass; 7 in hit, 6 in control.
Explanation of the results in the second experiment?
when asked how fast the car was going, the participants’ expectation of its speed was integrated into the reconstructed memory of the crash (along with some exact details of the crash). This reconstructed memory was retrieved again when they were asked if they saw broken glass; and the reconstructed memory influenced how they answered this question.
Define: source confusion
the true source of the memory is forgotten or when a memory is attributed to the wrong source.
o Eg. presuppositions were confused with the details of the original memory.
How does reconstruction work?
- upon retrieval, misinformation provided by the presupposition of the leading question is integrated with the real details of the memeory. this might BIAS our retrieval of a memory, to match the leading question
- reconstructed memory is stored in LTM
REconsolidation?
Reconsolidation happens each time the memory is retrieved; reconsolidated memory may be reconstructed.
