EWT- misleading information Flashcards
(19 cards)
what is reconstructive memory?
we only remember bits of information, we fill in the rest. Filled in bits are due to schemas, stereotypes and scripts. This can lead to false memories
what is a leading question?
one that encourages the witness to answer in a certain way- due to the subtle introduction of new info
what is an example of a leading question?
‘what colour hat was the man wearing?’ assumes that the man was even wearing a hat
Describe the procedures and findings of Loftus and Palmer’s study?
loftus studied use of language in leading questions
45 American students were shown a video of a car crash and asked how fast the car was travelling
5 verbs
9mph difference between smashed and contacted
what does Loftus and Palmer’s study show about the effects of leading questions on EWT?
language encourages people to answer questions in a certain way
in what ways is the Loftus and Palmer’s study different to real life?
video shown in a lab experiment where you pay attention to detail, you don’t usually pay attention in real life
how might memory be different in real life to when shown the video in L and P study?
pay less attention so less accurate memory
higher anxiety so could make less or more accurate
higher consequences in real life so more accurate
what was Loftus and Palmer’s follow up study?
ppts asked if they saw broken glass.
when given ‘smashed’ 16 said yes
when given ‘hit’ 7 said yes
what is a strength of research into LQ (Elizabeth Loftus)?
practical application
her research was taken into account when writing the Devlin report- which recommended that eyewitness testimony should not be enough to convict without other corroborating evidence
what is a limitation of LQ?
we don’t know why leading questions affect EWT;
substitution explanation
response bias
what is meant by substitution explanation of why leading questions effect EWT?
the verb used changes the memory of the ppts.
Smashed glass example
what is meant by response bias as an explanation of why leading questions effect EWT?
the memory of the ppts are not actually changed but the verb used encourages them to choose a higher speed
how does Yuille and Cutshall find about the effects of leading questions on EWT? goes against effects of leading questions.
examined a real life case of a gun shot robbery
YUILLE AND CUTSHALL tracked down witnesses 5 months after and found;
1. able to recall in detail
2. high level of agreement between witnesses
3. accounts DID NOT alter in response to leading questions
what is a strength of Yuille and Custshall?
high external validity/ mundane realism because it is a real life study, contrast to Loftus lab video study
consequences are greater in real life so they think about their answers more and leading Q’s have less of an effect- so this study
why might Yuille and Cutshall’s study not actually be that useful?
witnesses questioned months after they gave their first statement- so leading questions could have less of an effect and so might not be best way of measuring, Loftus and Palmer may be better
more likely to give accurate accounts later as less anxious and less consequences
what is meant by post event discussion?
occurs when there is more than one witness to an event- witnesses discuss what they have seen and this leads to CONTAMINATION of memories
memory conformity can occur- people agree with others as they doubt their own memories
can lead to false memories due to memory reconstruction
accuracy of witness’s recall may be reduced
what is the supporting evidence for post event discussion?
Gabbert et al
pairs of ppts watched a video of the same crime but filmed from a different view point, then pairs given an opportunity to discuss what they saw
71% reported remembering information they couldn’t have possibly seen, compared to 0% of the control group with no post event discussion
showing memory conformity
how does post event discussion have practical application?
Bodner et al found that affects of post event discussion can be reduced if ppts warned of the effects
ppts who were warned that anything heard from co-witnesses is second-hand had much better recall of event
IN REAL LIFE we can tell witnesses to rely on their own recall of event
what is a problem for artificial studies of post event discussion?
demand characteristics are a problem in lab studies- we don’t know the extend to which post event discussion is actually changing memory of ppts
they may just be going along with it because they think that is what they are supposed to do
