misleading information Flashcards
what is the research into leading questions
-participants watched film clips of a car accident
-were asked various questions using different verbs
-the estimated speed for each verb varied with the verbs
Shows that wording of the question can alter recall of memories from participants
32% of participants recorded seeing broken glass who heard the word smashed
And only 14% who heard the word hit
why do leading questions affect EWT
Response bias- wording of the question has no affect just how they would want to answer
Memory altered- the verb may change their memories and make them seem more serious than if another verb was used
what research is there into post event discussion
This can occur when several eyewitnesses discuss crime with eachother
This can cause eyewitness to combine incorrect information from other witnesses with their own memories
-paired up and had to watch clips from two angles
-had to discuss what they had seen before completing a test of recall
-71% recalled aspects they had picked up in discussion
PED reduces reliability as witnesses may go along with others to gain social approval or because of internalisation
What are the practical applications of misleading information
Eg leading questions can distort memory so then police are careful when phrasing their words
Psychologists can improve the legal system
Why is artificial tasks a limitation
-when they watched a clip of a car accident
-artificial videos were used which doesn’t show us how leading questions affect ewt in real life situations
-lab studies cause demand characteristics
Why is doing the research in lab studies a strength?
-it had been done in a highly control;led environment
-the study allowed manipulation on the types of words used in the leading question experiment and the same video was used. This shows they control extraneous variables
-this is a strength as cause and affect can be established
-high internal validity
Why are individuals differences a limitation
Eg older people are less accurate giving ewt reports
Limitation as younger people are mostly used in the research meaning that the research isn’t generalisable to the older generation
