Loftus and Palmer

• pps watched videos of car crashes and complete a questionairre which included a event or give a particular response.
• About how fast the cars going when they hit each other
• the verb in the leading question was the independent variable
• pps were in one of 5 groups who had a diff verb, contacted, hit, bumped, collided, smashed,
• Loftus and Palmer found those in the 'smashes' condition estimated the car was travelling on average 10mph faster than those in the 'contacted' condition.
• Research had standardised procedures, researchers have a high level of control over extraneous variables, therefore they can be sure they are measuring the influence of the leading questions on the accuracy of the eyewitness testimony and not any other variable.
• Task lacks mundane realism, video does not reflect the same level of anxiety that would be experienced when watching a real car crash. The results may therefore lack ecological validity.
• Research has real world application, has led to changes in the way police question witnesses and Loftus herself has testified in courtrooms to help avoid miscarriages of justice, therefore investigating the influence of misleading information on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.