Loftus And Palmer

Question 1

What is the background to Loftus and Palmers study?

Answer 1

Bartlett - Our memory doesn’t play bsck exactly what happened and instead reconstructs the event - this reconstruction is affected by our past experiences and pre-existing beliefs about what might happen (schemas)
Schemas - Mental representations of what usually happens in different situations
Eyewitness testimony - Previously used as deciding evidence but research showed it as unreliable

Question 2

Aim - 1

Answer 2

To investigate the effects of language on memory

Question 3

Sample? -1

Answer 3

45 male and female student participants from Washington State University

Question 4

Experimental Design? - 1

Answer 4

Independent Measures - 9 People divided into 5 different conditions

Question 5

Dependent Variable? - 1

Answer 5

The speed given as an answer to the critical question
‘How fast were the cars going when they … each other?’

Question 6

Independent variable? - 1

Answer 6

The 5 verbs used in the different conditions if experiment 1 -
Contacted
Hit
Bumped
Collided
Smashed

Question 7

Procedure? - 1

Answer 7

Participants in every condition were shown 7 film clips and had to fill in a questionnaire after each clip.
They were asked to give an account of the accident and then do a set of questions.
L + P only interested in critical questions which was masked by smokescreen questions.
The questions were given in different order.
Clips were obtained by Seattle police department.
Each group had a different verb in the critical question ‘How fast were the cars going when they …. each other’

Question 8

Data collection? - 1

Answer 8

A self report method was used by giving them questions

Question 9

Results - 1

Answer 9

Verb Mean speed estimate
Smashed 40.8 mph
Collided 39.3 mph
Bumped 38.1 mph
Hit 34.0 mph
Contacted 31.8 mph

Question 10

Conclusions - 1

Answer 10

The language used caused a change in the participants’ memory representation of the event. The verb ‘smashed may change a participants memory such as that they ‘see’ the accident as being more severe than it was
Response bias - If a participant can’t decide between 30 and 40 ‘Smashed’, may cue the response of 49 as it suggests a higher speed.

Question 11

Experimental design - 2

Answer 11

Independent measures- Lab experiment

Question 12

Sample - 2

Answer 12

150 students - 3 groups of 50 for each condition

Question 13

Independent variable - 2

Answer 13

Verb used in 3 conditions -
Smashed
Hit
Or not asked about speed of cars

Question 14

Dependent variable - 2

Answer 14

The number of people in each condition (Smashed, hit or control group (not asked about speed)) who remembered seeing broken glass in the video when asked a week later.

Question 15

Procedure - 2

Answer 15

Stage 1 - Seeibf the film and filling in one of the 3 versions of the questionnaire in day 1
Stage 2 - Returning a week later to complete questionnaire 2 about whether or not they saw smashed glass

Question 16

Results - 2

Answer 16

Verb No. P’s saw broken glass
Smashed 16/50
Hit 7/50
Control 6/50

Question 17

Conclusions - 2

Answer 17

The questions asked subsequent to an event can cause reconstruction in one’s memory of that event.
The word used in questions can affect the speed a witness estimates a vehicle moving.