Loftus and Palmer

Question 1

What can this study be used for?

Answer 1

Reconstructive memory

Question 2

Year

Answer 2

Loftus and Palmer 1974

Question 3

Background

Answer 3

• Reconstructive memory is a theory of memory recall when the memory is recreated anew everytime it’s retrieved. This process is closely related to schemas which are used to help recreate the information.
• Suggested by Bartlett
• Debunked the idea of memory working like a camera. We store memory traces of the past, segments of events rather than an entire, complete record.

Question 4

Aim

Answer 4

To see whether leading questions may affect estimation of car speed

Question 5

Participants

Answer 5

American students

Question 6

Experimental design

Answer 6

Independent measures design

Question 7

Procedure

Answer 7

• Participants were shown a carcrash video
• They had to fill a questionnaire then
• There were many questions, but most important one was: “How fast were the cars going when they…?”
• The students were randomly divided into experimental groups and the sentence ended differently for each.
• The 5 conditions were: collided, bumped, hit, contacted and smashed.

Question 8

Results

Answer 8

• Formulation of the question influenced speed estimates
• Smashed had the highest speed estimates
• In a followup experiment, participants asked if they saw any broken glass. Smashed group was most likely to report having seen some
• Leading questions can affect the way information is remembered

Question 9

Criticism

Answer 9

• Low ecological validity
• IV/DV relationship established
• Participants might not know difference between speeds