Loftus and Palmer Study Flashcards
Core Studies (Cognitive Area)
What was the aim of experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
They wanted to demonstrate that leading questions could influence an individuals’ memory of the event.
What is an eyewitness testimony (Loftus and Palmer)?
An account given by an eyewitness of a crime.
What can affect our memories as an eyewitness (Loftus and Palmer)?
- Info you get during or after an event
- Schemas and expectations (our understanding of events)
Describe the sample for experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer).
- 45 Students
- From University Of Washington
- No indicative age
Describe the procedure for experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer).
- Participants watch 7 traffic accident clips from a driver safety film
- After clips, participants got a questionnaire about the clips
- Each participant got a critical question “About how fast were the cars going when they … into each other”
- The critical question could have 1/5 verbs.
- Participants responded in mph
What were the 5 verbs in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Smashed, Collided, Bumped, Hit and Contacted
What were the mean estimate results for each verb in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Smashed= 40.8mph
Collided= 39.3mph
Bumped= 38.1mph
Hit= 34.0mph
Contacted= 31.8mph
What were the conclusions drawn from experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
- The wording of the question had an effect on the estimated speed given
- The more severe- sounding verbs received a higher estimate in mph
- The verb ‘Smashed’ received an average of 9mph higher estimated than ‘Contacted’
What is the IV in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
The verb used in the critical question
What is the DV in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Mph estimated for the speed of the car
What was the research method used in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Laboratory experiment
What was the research design used in experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Independent measures design
What type of data was collected from experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Quantitative Interval data
List some controls from experiment 1 (Loftus and Palmer).
- Everyone watched the same videos
- The critical question was the same for everyone, except for the verb
What was the aim for experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
To investigate if participants that were asked the ‘Smashed’ question would be more likely to report seeing broken glass in a filmed accident after a week.
Describe the sample for experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer).
- 150 students
- From the University of Washington
- Different students to experiment 1
Describe the procedure for experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer).
- Participants watched 1 min clip with 40 secs of a car accident
- Had a questionnaire about clip
- 2/3 of the groups had a critical question with 1 of 2 verb changes
- Participants went home for 1 week
- They returned and were asked “Did you remember seeing any broken glass?” among other questions.
What were the 3 groups/ 2 verbs from experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
- ‘Smashed’
- ‘Hit’
- No critical question
What were the results from experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Saw broken glass:
- Smashed= 16
- Hit= 7
- Control= 6
Didn’t see broken glass:
- Smashed= 34
- Hit= 43
- Control= 44
What were the conclusions drawn from experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
- Language used after you witness an event can cause an actual memory change and can distort how you remember something
- Eyewitnesses aren’t always reliable
What is the IV for experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
The verb that the people heard in the critical question.
What is the DV for experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
If they think they saw broken glass or not (there was no broken glass).
What was the research method used in experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Laboratory experiment.
What was the research design used in experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Independent measures design.
What type of data was collected in experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
Quantitative Nominal data.
List some controls used in experiment 2 (Loftus and Palmer)?
- Everyone had a week in between watching the videos and the broken glass question
- Everyone was asked the same question about broken glass
Are the samples from Loftus and Palmer’s studies representative?
They are unrepresentative;
- It is a very ethnocentric sample (all from same uni)
- Lacks population validity as it is assumed students in a university have higher cognitive abilities and will perform better in a memory study.
How reliable were Loftus and Palmer’s studies?
They have high levels of reliability as they could be easily repeated.
How valid were Loftus and Palmer’s studies?
They have low ecological validity because experiencing a car crash is not similar to watching a clip of one
How useful were Loftus and Palmer’s studies?
They are useful:
- It can influence the interviewing and questioning processes in the criminal justice system.
- It also proves that eyewitnesses are unreliable
How ethical are Loftus and Palmer’s studies?
- Lack of protection against distressing clips of car accidents
- All students gave consent
- All student’s privacy was respected and identities were confidential
- Protection from distressing clips as they’re from a driving safety programe
