Misleading information [EWT]

Question 1

How did Loftus & Palmer investigate the effect of leading questions on EWT answers?

Answer 1

• ppts watched film clips of car accidents
• they were questioned on the clips
• leading question: “How fast were the cars travelling when they _______?”
• Verbs: hit, contacted, bumped, collided, smashed
  RESULTS
  mean estimation with ‘contacted’ = 31.8 mph
  mean estimation with ‘smashed’ = 40.5 mph
  = the leading question biased the eyewitness recall

Question 2

How is the study on leading questions useful?

Answer 2

Useful for structuring police interviews

= improvements to legal system

Question 3

How has the study on leading questions been criticised?

Answer 3

Artificial task = lacks the same stress/anxiety levels

Question 4

What are the 2 explanations for the effect of leading question in creating a bias answer?

Answer 4

RESPONSE BIAS EXPLANATION

SUBSTITUTION EXPLANATION

Question 5

How does the response bias explanation explain the effect of leading questions?

Answer 5

The wording doesn’t effect the memory itself, just the way the witness chooses to answer - they are encouraged to exaggerate

Question 6

How does the substitution explanation explain the effect of leading questions?

Answer 6

The wording itself changes the memory

A SECOND STUDY WAS CONDUCTED WHERE PPTS WERE ASKED ABT NON-EXISTENT BROKEN GLASS, ‘SMASHED’ PPTS SAID THEY HAD SEEN SOME

Question 7

How did Gabbert investigate the effect of post-event discussion on EWT answers?

Answer 7

• studied ppts in pairs
• each ppt watched a video of the same crime, filmed from different angles
• both ppts discussed what they had seen
• each ppt took an individual test of recall
  RESULTS
  71% mistakenly recalled aspects that hadn’t been in their own video but had picked up on in discussion
  0% mistaken recall in control group
  = witnesses often make up information they have heard from other witnesses

Question 8

How can the effect of post-event discussion be explained?

Answer 8

Social desirability - they go along with other witnesses for social approval or because they believe the other witness is right

Question 9

How has Gabbert’s study been criticised?

Answer 9

Artificial task = not same anxiety levels as real life = low external validity

Question 10

What other factor affects recall?

Answer 10

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
- Anastasi & Rhodes found that ppl under 45 were better at recall than those over 55
OWN AGE BIAS
- all age groups are more accurate at identifying others in their own age group