Loftus and Palmer (1974) Flashcards
Background of Loftus and Palmer
Bartletts reconstructive memory-relies on encoding.
Schemas-knowledge structures based on our experience and expectation. This can lead to distortion because of schema driven errors.
Method of experiment 1 (L+P)
Lab experiment using independent measures design.
IV= how fast cars were going when smashed/hit/collided/bumped?
DV=estimated speed
Method of experiment 2 (L+P)
Lab experiment using independent measures design.
IV= group 1-smashed, group 2-hit, group 3- control
DV= yes/ no when asked about broken glass.
Sample of experiment 1 (L+P)
45 students from America.
Sample from experiment 2 (L+P)
150 students from America.
Procedure of experiment 1 (L+P)
-Ppts were shown 7 film clips of traffic accidents.
-Then given questionnaire including question the cars whether smashed, hit, etc.
Procedure of experiment 2 (L+P)
-1 min film with 4 second multiple car crash.
-Given questionnaire. Group 1-smashed, group 2- hit, group 3- control.
-One week later,without seeing film again, completed another questionnaire about broken glass.
Results of experiment 1 (L+P)
Smashed= 40.5 mph av.
Hit = 34 mph av.
Smashed produced fastest speed estimates and contacted slowest.
Results of experiment 2 (L+P)
Smashed= 16 pp said yes to broken glass.
Hit= 7 pp said yes to broken glass.
More people recorded seeing glass in smashed IV.
Majority recalled no glass in each group.
Conclusion of Loftus and Palmer
-Verb used influences people’s response.
-Misleading post event information can distort individuals memory.
- Speed estimated can be due to response-bias factors.
-Leading questions can cause distortion of memory.
How does Loftus and Palmer link to cognitive area ?
Cognitive because of it dealing with memory. This study shows the impact that post-event information can have on memory, even to the point of distorting memory.
