Loftus and Palmer

Question 1

Is memory like a camera?

Answer 1

No, memory is not like a camera.

Question 2

Who conducted research on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony?

Answer 2

Elizabeth Loftus

Question 3

What factors does Elizabeth Loftus investigate in this research?

Answer 3

The factors that affect eyewitness testimony.

Question 4

What is the aim of the investigation?

Answer 4

To investigate the effect of leading questions on eyewitness memory.

Question 5

What is the main question being investigated?

Answer 5

Do leading questions distort (change) an eyewitness memory of an event?

Question 6

What is the hypothesis of the study?

Answer 6

The strength of the verb used in the leading question will significantly affect participant reports of the speed of the crash.

Question 7

What was the method?

Answer 7

2 laboratory experiments, each having an independant design

Question 8

How many students participated in Experiment 1?

Answer 8

45 students

Question 9

How many groups were formed in Experiment 1?

Answer 9

5 groups

Question 10

How many students were in each group in Experiment 1?

Answer 10

9 students

Question 11

How many students participated in Experiment 2?

Answer 11

150 students

Question 12

How many groups were formed in Experiment 2?

Answer 12

3 groups

Question 13

How many students were in each group in Experiment 2?

Answer 13

50 students

Question 14

What was the first step in Experiment 1?

Answer 14

Participants watched a video of a car accident.

Question 15

What did participants do after watching the video in Experiment 1?

Answer 15

They wrote an account of what they had seen.

Question 16

What type of questionnaire did participants receive in Experiment 1?

Answer 16

A questionnaire that included the critical leading question.

Question 17

How were participants divided in Experiment 1?

Answer 17

They were divided into 5 groups.

Question 18

What was unique about the critical question in Experiment 1?

Answer 18

Each group received a different version of the critical question with varying verbs.

Question 19

What verbs were used in the critical leading question in Experiment 1?

Answer 19

‘Contacted’, ‘hit’, ‘bumped’, ‘collided’, or ‘smashed’.

Question 20

What was shown to participants in Experiment 2?

Answer 20

A film of a car accident.

Question 21

What type of question did Group 1 receive in Experiment 2?

Answer 21

A leading question containing the word ‘hit’.

Question 22

What type of question did Group 2 receive in Experiment 2?

Answer 22

A leading question containing the word ‘smashed’.

Question 23

What was the role of Group 3 in Experiment 2?

Answer 23

Group 3 was a control group and asked no leading question.

Question 24

What critical question was asked a week later in Experiment 2?

Answer 24

Did you see any broken glass?

Question 25

Was there any broken glass in the film shown during Experiment 2?

Answer 25

No, there was no broken glass.

Question 26

What verb had the fastest estimated speed in Experiment 1?

Answer 26

Smashed (40 mph)

Question 27

What verb had the slowest estimated speed in Experiment 1?

Answer 27

Contacted (33 mph)

Question 28

How many participants said they saw broken glass in Experiment 2?

Answer 28

-15 smashed said saw broken glass - 5 control saw broken glass - 10 hit said saw broken glass

Question 29

What did L&P conclude about the verb used in the leading question?

Answer 29

The meaning of the verb (the semantics) had become integrated with the memory of the event, changing the memory and causing a false memory to be constructed.

Question 30

What can alter our memory of an event after we have witnessed it?

Answer 30

What happens after we have witnessed the event can alter our memory of it.