Loftus & Palmer Flashcards
What was Loftus and Palmer’s aim?
To find out if a leading question alters memory or response and what effect this would have on speed estimations
How can Loftus and Palmer’s study be placed in a legal context?
1960’s people worried about miscarriages of justice due to leading questions. Do people tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth? What people say in court is based on one version of the truth - but that truth may not be 100% accurate. Injustices made EWT (eye witness testimony) and leading questions a concern, L&P aimed to test this.
How can Loftus and Palmer’s study be placed in an academic context?
Bartlett got pps to recall an unfamiliar story. He found that pps told it using normalisation and rationalisation this was because their memories were altered by schemas.
How else can L&P’s study be placed in an academic study?
Carmichael’s study showed a verbal label will shape memory and how its recalled. This fits with L&P’s notion of reconstructive memory.
What was Loftus and Palmers research method?
2 lab experiments
What type of sampling method was used?
Opportunity
How many pps were in experiment 1?
45
How many pps were in experiment 2?
150
In experiment 1, how many groups were there?
5
What were each group shown in experiment 1?
7 short films of car accidents
What did the questionnaire the pps were given in experiment 1 ask them to do?
Give an account of what they’ve just seen
What were pps in experiment 1 then asked?
A critical question - about how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?
What were the 4 words that replaced hit in experiment 1?
Bumped, Collided, Contacted and Smashed
How many groups were there in experiment 2?
3
What were the 3 groups shown in experiment 2?
A short film with multiple crashes (no broken glass)
What were the first 50 pps asked?
How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?
What were the second 50 pps asked?
How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?