Memory: EWT misleading information Flashcards
what’s EWT?
the ability of people to remember the details of an event such as accidents or crimes, which they observed. accuracy can be affected misleading information and anxiety.
what’s misleading information?
incorrect information given to the eyewitness after the event. leading questions = a question which is phrased to suggest a certain answer. post-event discussion = witnesses discuss what they have seen which may influence accuracy.
what was Loftus + Palmer’s study for leading questions?
participants watched a clip of a car accident and then had to answer questions about the accident. they were asked “about how fast were the cars going when they [blank] each other. there were 5 groups with different verbs: hit, contacted, bumped, collided, smashed. the verb ‘contacted’ had an estimated speed of 31.8mph while ‘smashed’ had 40.5mph.
what’s the response bias explanation to why leading questions affect EWT?
it suggetss the wording of the question has no real effect on memory but influences how they decide to answer. ‘smashed’ encouraged a higher speed estimate.
what’s the substitution explanation for why leading questions affect EWT?
Loftus + Palmer did a second study. the wording of the question actually changes their memory of the clip. ‘smashed’ were more likely to report broken glass than ‘hit’. there was no broken glass.
what’s Gabbert’s study on post-event discussion?
she studied participants in pairs. they each watched a video of the same crime but from different POVs, meaning they could see elements the other couldn’t. both participants discussed what they’d seen. 71% recalled aspects they hadn’t seen. she concluded that witnesses go along with each other for social approval or because they believe they are right.
what’s the real-life application of misleading information?
Loftus believed that leading questions can have a distorting effect on memory that police officers need to be careful with how they phrase their questions when interviewing eyewitnesses. research into EWT is believed to make a positive difference to lives such as improving the legal system and expert witnesses.
how is the tasks being artificial a limitation?
Loftus and Palmer’s participants watched a film clip, which is very different from witnessing a real accident as it lacks the stress. there’s evidence that emotions influence memory. the use of artificial tasks tells us very little about how leading questions affect EWT in the case of real situations.
how does individual difference affect leading questions?
evidence that older people are less accurate than younger people. Anastasi + Rhodes found people aged 18-25 and 35-45 were more accurate than 55-78. however all age groups were accurate when identifying people in their own age group. research often targets younger people meaning some age groups appear less accurate.
