Loftus and Palmer Study Flashcards
What was the experimental method and design for both the experiments?
Laboratory experiment and independent measures design
What was the independent variable for the first experiment?
The wording of a critical question hidden in a questionnaire which was operationalised by the verbs: hit, smashed, collided, contacted, bumped
What was the dependent variable in the first experiment?
The estimated speed given by the participant operationalised in miles per hour
What was the independent variable in the second experiment?
The wording on the question in the questionnaire
What was the dependent variable in the second experiment?
Participants were asked ‘Did you see any broken glass?’ Operationalised by yes/no
What were the three groups in the second experiment?
Group 1- were asked about how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?
Group 2- were asked about how fast were the cars going when they hit each other? Group 3- were not asked about speed
What was the sample for the first experiment?
45 students were divided into 5 groups (conditions) with 9 participants in each group
What was the sample for the second group?
150 students were divided into 3 groups (conditions) with 50 participants in each group
What does memory involve?
interpreting what is seen or heard, recording bits of it and then reconstructing these bits into memories when required
What does the study focus on?
The effects of leading questions on an individuals ability to accurately remember events
What was the procedure in experiment 1?
Participants were shown the same seven film clips of different traffic accidents,
after each clip they were given a questionnaire which asked them to describe the accident and then answer a series of questions,
they were then asked ‘about how fast were the cars going when they hit/smashed/collided/contacted/bumped each other?’
What was the procedure in experiment 2?
Participants were shown a one minute film which contained a 4 second multiple car crash,
they were then given a questionnaire which asked them to describe the accident and then answer a series of questions,
The three groups were then asked something different,
One week later the participants completed another questionnaire about the accident that contain the question ‘did you see any broken glass?’
What were the findings of experiment 1?
Smashed- 40.5 mph Collided- 39.3 mph Bumped- 38.1 mph Hit- 34.0 mph Contacted- 31.8 mph
What were the findings of experiment 2?
Smashed- yes 16 no 34
Hit- yes 7 no 43
Control group- yes 6 no 44
Conclusion- what does the verb in a question influence?
A participants response for example the way question is phrased influences the answers given
