Classic study - Loftus and Palmer (1974) Flashcards
What was the aim of the Loftus and Palmer classic study?
To test the idea that misleading information distorts eyewitness testimony accounts (episodic memories)
What is the methodology of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)
Lab experiment (Independent measures design)
45 American university students
IV: 5 Conditions: Intensity of verb (smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted)
DV: Estimate of speed (mph)
What was the procedure of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Saw 7 films of traffic accidents
Asked to write an account of what they saw
Also asked questions in a questionnaire – The critical one being: ‘How fast were the cars going when they _____ each other?
What were the results of Experiment 1 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)
Verb: Smashed
Mean estimate speed (mph): 40.5
Verb: Contacted
Mean estimate speed (mph): 31.8
As the intensity of the verb increased, the estimate of speed also increased
The verb gives an impression of the speed the car was travelling
What is the methodology of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)
Lab experiment (Independent measures design)
150 students
IV: Intensity of verb
DV: Whether Broken glass was ‘seen’ or not.
What was the procedure of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (5 points)
Film of car traffic accident – one minute in length
Account written and questions asked again
Question being: ‘How fast were the cars going when they _____ each other?
Only 3 conditions - Smashed, Hit and a control group (no question)
A week later, answered a questionnaire with critical question – ‘Did you see any broken glass – yes or no?’
What were the results of Experiment 2 of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 data points and 1 point)
Proportion of people who said Yes:
Smashed: 16/50
Hit: 7/50
Control (no speed Q): 6/50
More people in the Smashed condition remembered broken glass - no broken glass in reality
What were the conclusions of both experiments of the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Experiment 1:
+ The verb gave expectations about the speed and details of the crash
+ Memories of events are distorted by leading questions post-event
Experiment 2:
False memories can be made
How generalisable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Study’s sample lacks generalisability because 45 (Experiment 1) & 150 (Experiment 2) American undergraduate students were used
It could be more difficult for a student to accurately judge the speed of a car when they don’t have much experience driving
Therefore, the study is not representative of how older, more experienced drivers will respond to misleading information regarding driving
How reliable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Standardised procedure - all participants:
+ Watched the same video clip of the car crash from the same angle
+ Were given the questionnaire with the same delivery (tone and volume)
Allows for the consistency of the results to be tested, therefore improving reliability
How applicable is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Loftus and Palmer concluded that misleading information could easily distort episodic memories (Experiment 1) and even make false memories (experiment 2)
These conclusions have been used to create useful real-world applications such as the Cognitive Interview - used by police to increase the accuracy of recall
The first component is Free recall/Report everything where leading, closed questions are avoided - has improved society and the lives of individuals
How internally valid is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Increased IV - the cause (verb) and effect (speed) are high
Loftus & Palmer inserted the critical question ‘How fast were the cars going when they ____ each other?’ amongst other distractor questions about the car crash in the questionnaire - prevented demand characteristics from being elicited
No researcher bias - no subjective interpretation of quantitative DVs by the researcher, making the findings objective
How ecologically valid is the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (4 points)
Low ecological validity
Watching film clips of car accidents is a very different experience from witnessing a real accident, mainly because of the lack of stress and emotional response
The artificial stimulus used in the experiment doesn’t give us a real insight into how leading questions affect EWT in cases of real accidents/crimes
Interviews would usually be undertaken to collect eyewitness testimonies - the study lacks real-life applications
How ethical was the Loftus and Palmer classic study? (3 points)
Participants were deceived by not being told the true aim of the study
However, this prevented demand characteristics, increasing the study’s validity
Participants were debriefed and told the true aims at the end of the study
