misleading info

• what is a leading question

  a question where information is provided in the question that could influence the witness

  leads to inaccuracy in EWT
• loftus + palmer 1974

  • 45 american students from washington uni formed an opportunity sample
  • they were shown 7 films each 5-30 seconds long of a car crash
  • students were asked what speed the car was going at when it (smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted) the other
• findings

  smashed- 40.8 mph

  collided- 39.3 mph

  bumped- 38.1 mph

  hit- 34 mph

  contacte- 31.8 mph
• discussion that witnesses engage in after the crime that could contaminate orginal recall as people are combining their recall with others
• procedure

  • participants watched a video of a girl stealing
  • tested individually or in pairs
  • participants in pairs were told they were shown the same video but only one was shown the girl stealing
  • after watching the video they engaged in a discussion
  • they then filled out a questionnaire
• findings

  • 71% of witnesses recalled information they hadn’t actually seen
  • 60% said that she was guilty when they hadn’t actually seen her steal
  • 0% of the control group did this