Memory in everyday life

• Eyewitness testimony (ewt)

  • used in court as evidence
  • The innocence project- 72%of cases where only ewt was used have been released due to DNA evidence (wrongly convicted)
• Loftus + Palmer 1


  • investigated leading questions
  • 45 students watched 7 clips of traffic accidents (in a lab)
  • Then answered a questionnaire with one critical question
  • “How fast were the cars going when they hit/crashed/collided with each other?”
• Loftus and Palmer 1 results

  • smashed = 40.8 MPH
  • contacted = 31.8 MPH
• Loftus and Palmer 2 (AO1)


  • new set of Ppts - same experiment as 1
  • 1 week later, smashed + hit were called back and asked 1 critical question “did you see any broken glass“
  • Smashed = 16/50 said yes
  • Hit = 7/50 said yes
  • Leading question affect post-event memory (had been stored for 1 week)
• Post Event Discussion 


  Discussing an event after changes that memory

  • Gabbert- Group 1 - watched a clip about same event , 1/2 group 1 and 2 did immediate recall and the remaining discussed the event and then recalled. This was 70% accurate
  • shows false memories
• AO3 Strength - “Bugs Bunny” 


  • strength of Loftus and palmer
  • College students that had visited Disney before 10years old were given advertising info about Disney with bugs bunny (not a Disney character) and Ariel ( didn’t exist yet).
  • when asked to recall their time at Disney, many reported seeing bugs + Ariel - lab study - high control, clear to see cause and effect
• AO3 weakness - “Bugs Bunny” + loftus and palmer


  • lab study - lacks mundane realism
  • Ppts knew they were in a study, were prepared to watch a screen
  • Not reflective of real life - no anxiety - may impact our memory
• AO3 weakness - Yuille + Cutshall 


  • real bank robbery - high ecological validity
  • People interviewed immediately then agreed to be interviewed 4 months later
  • 2 leading questions - their statements matched
  • Leading questions do not effect memory
• Individual differences

  • age = elderly + children prone to effects of leading questions
  • Elderly have a stigma about memory
  • Children are very suggestive