13. Eyewitness Testimony: Misleading Information AO1 Flashcards
What are the two types of misleading information
- Leading questions
- Post event discussion
What is the response bias explanation
Wording of a question has no enduring effect on an eyewitness’s memory of an event, but influences the kind of answer given
What is the substitution explanation
Wording of a question doesn’t affect eyewitness memory it interferes with its original memory distorting accuracy
Who conducted research into leading questions
Loftus and Palmer
How many participants did Loftus and Palmer use
45 students
What was Loftus and Palmer’s procedure
Students watched film clip of bar accidents and then answered questions about speed
What was the critical question in Loftus and Palmers research
About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other
What was altered in each part of Loftus and Palmer’s study
5 groups - each given different verb in the critical question
What were the 5 verbs Loftus and Palmer used
- Hit
- Contacted
- Bumped
- Collided
- Smashed
What did Loftus and Palmer find when using the verb ‘contacted’
Mean estimated speed was 31.8mph
What did Loftus and Palmer find when using the verb ‘smashed’
Mean estimated speed was 40.5mph
What can be concluded from Loftus and Palmer’s research
The leading questions biased eyewitness recall of an event - verb ‘smashed’ suggested a faster speed than ‘contacted’
Explain memory contamination
When co-witnesses discuss a crime, they mix information from other witnesses with their own memories
Explain memory conformity
Witnesses go along with each other to win social approval or because they believe the other witnesses are right
Who studied post event discussion
Gabbert et al
