Misleading Information: EWT

• What are leading questions?

  A question that encourages a specific answer
• What are the two explanations of leading questions?

  Response-bias explanation: wording of question does not affect the memory but influences the way they answer it

  Substitution explanation: wording of question affects the memory
• Name one piece of research into leading questions

  Loftus and Palmer
• Describe Loftus and Palmer's research

  Participants watched videos of car accidents and were asked how fast the cars were going when they hit each other

  Five groups were given a different verb

  'Contacted' - 31.8 mph

  'Smashed' - 40.5 mph
• What is post-event discussion?

  A discussion that takes place after an event
• What two things of PED affect EWT?

  Memory contamination: when co-witnesses mix (mis)information from other witnesses with their own memories

  Memory conformity: when witnesses go along with each other to win social approval because they believe the others are right
• Name one piece of research into PED

  Gabbert et al.
• Describe Gabbert et al.'s research

  Paired participants watched a video of the same crime

  They saw different perspectives of the same crime

  Both participants then discussed what they had seen

  71% of the participants recalled information that they had not seen
• Give one strength of research into misleading information

  Real-world application

  Practical uses for police officers

  Improve how the legal system works

  The cognitive interview has been developed and utilised
• Give two weaknesses of research into misleading information

  Loftus and Palmer's study used artificial materials - there is less stress on the participants -> it does not represent real crimes

  
  

  Lab studies suffer from demand characteristics - answering a question to be more helpful -> so the answers they give may not actually reflect their memories
• Name factors that affect EWT

  Misleading information - Leading questions and post-event discussion

  Anxiety