experiment 2

• aim (2)?

  show more conclusively that information provided after an event is capable of distorting memories
• procedure (2)?

  150 students from Uni of Washington, shown short film of multiple car crashes lasting 1 minute. split into 3 conditions: 'how fast were cars going when they smashed/hit each other' or not asked a question about car speed. recalled back to lab a week later then asked filled questions and critical question 'did you see any broken glass
• results (2)?

  • smashed= 10.4mph, hit= 8mph.
  • higher proportion of smashed condition saw broken glass (16 if saw broken glass, 34 if didn't), compared to hit condition (7 did, 43 didn't)
  • overall more people identified no glass was seen
• conclusions (2)?

  • reconstructive memory hypothesis is supported, information gathered is modified by data gathered afterward. overtime this information will be impossible to separate causing new memory
  • eyewitnesses to car crashes aren't good at estimating speeds of vehicles involved
  • leading questions can influence memory
  • eyewitness testimony may be unreliable.