Loftus and Palmer

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

Investigate the effect of leading questions on the accuracy of memory recall.

Question 2

Participants (expt 1)

Answer 2

45 students from university of washington. 9 assigned to each condition hit, contacted, collided, smashed and bumped.

Question 3

Participants (expt 2)

Answer 3

150 students split into 3 groups of 50. One = control, one = smashed, one = hit.

Question 4

Method and design (inc IVs and DVs)

Answer 4

method = lab experiment
design = independent measures design
IV expt 1 = verb used in critical question.
IV expt 2 = verb used in critical question.
DV expt 1 = speed estimates.
DV expt 2 = whether pp saw broken glass

Question 5

Procedure (expt 1)

Answer 5

1) participants shown same 7 video clips of a car crash ranging from 5-30 seconds. Shown in a different order in each condition to reduce order effects.
2) following each clip, pp given a questionnaire. 1st part asked them to write a short account of what they had seen. 2nd part asked them to answer some specific questions.
3) Critical question = “how quick were the cars going when they ……. into each other?”

Question 6

Procedure (expt 2)

Answer 6

1) Each pp shown 1 minute film containing a 4 sec clip of a multiple car crash and then questioned about it.
2) Two experimental conditions received same critical q as expt one with verbs hit or smashed. control group = no critical question.
3) One week later, pp without viewing film again were given a further 10 questions about the accident. critical question randomly positioned amongst the 10- whether they’d seen broken glass or not.

Question 7

Results (expt 1)

Answer 7

• Smashed = highest mean speed estimate - 40.8mph
• Contacted = lowest mean speed estimate - 31.8mph.
• Shows verb used in question did alter mean speed estimate = evidence for leading qs impacting memory.

Question 8

Results (expt 2)

Answer 8

• Smashed = higher speed estimate again and higher reports of seeing broken glass

Question 9

Conclusions

Answer 9

1. memory is reconstructive and is made up of 2 parts: info obtained from the perception of the event and other information obtained after the event.
2. People can be significantly influenced by the wording of a question.

Question 10

Link to Cognitive Area:

Answer 10

Internal mental processes such as memory, attention and perception are key to understanding human behaviour. This links to Loftus and Palmer as they suggest that a person’s memory can be influenced by leading questions, and found that a person’s memory is reconstructive where they have 2 parts: info they obtained from the perception of the event, and info obtained after the event.