Loftus and palmer 1974

• what year did this investigation happen?

  1974
• who conducted this investigation?

  Elizabeth Loftus and Palmer
• What was the aim of this investigation?

  find out whether eyewitness testimony could be manipulated

  accuracy of memory after witnessing a car accident
• what did they want to investigate in particular?

  if leading questions affected eyewitness testimony
• what was the method?

  45 students shown 7 different films of traffic accidents

  given a questionaire after each film to describe the accident and answer questions about it. One specific question about speed of cars upon impact all using different words. 'hit', 'collided', 'bumped', 'smashed' 'contacted'.
• what did results show?

  word 'smashed' the mean speed was estimated higher at 40.8mph

  word 'contacted' mean speed was lower at 32mph

  
• what was the conclusion?


  form of question can significantly impact a witnesses answer

  leading questions can affect the accuracy of memory
• Who conducted the experiment on eyewitness testimony?

  Loftus and Palmer
• What was the general aim of Loftus and Palmer's study?

  To investigate the accuracy of memory after a car accident
• What specific aspect of eyewitness testimony did the study focus on?

  Whether leading questions distort immediate recall
• What type of questions were used in the experiment?

  Leading questions
• Why might people be poor at estimating car speeds?

  They are easily influenced by hints
• How many students participated in the Loftus and Palmer experiment?

  45 students
• What did participants watch in the experiment?

  7 films of different traffic accidents
• What was the critical question asked to participants?

  About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?
• What verbs were used in place of the word 'hit'?

  'Smashed', 'collided', 'bumped', 'contacted'
• Which group estimated the highest speed?

  The group given 'smashed'
• What was the estimated speed for the 'smashed' group?

  About 41 mph
• What was the estimated speed for the 'contacted' group?

  About 32 mph
• What conclusion did Loftus and Palmer draw from their study?

  Leading questions can affect memory accuracy
• What is post-event information?

  Information given after an event that alters memory
• How might post-event information affect memory?

  It may alter information before storage
• What is a second possible explanation for the study's findings?

  The question alters memory representation
• What is a limitation of laboratory experiments mentioned in the evaluation?

  They may not represent real-life situations
• What did Foster et al (1994) find about real-life situations?

  Identification accuracy improves if participants feel involved
• What did Christianson and Hubinette (1993) discover about emotional arousal?

  It enhances memory accuracy in witnesses
• How long after the event did Christianson and Hubinette find accuracy remained high?

  15 months later
• What are demand characteristics in experiments?

  Participants look for cues about expected behavior
• How might demand characteristics affect Loftus and Palmer's findings?

  They might explain participants' responses