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Eyewitness Testimony: Loftus and Palmer (Leading Questions (A question…
Eyewitness Testimony:
Loftus and Palmer
Evidence given in court/police investigation
by someone who has witnesses a crime/accident
Loftus &
Palmer
IV= Change in critical verb
Smashed (40.8mph)
Collided (39.3)
Bumped (38.1mph)
Hit (34mph)
Contacted (31.8mph)
Students watching a video of a car crash
asks to estimate the speed of the car
Findings
Estimated spped was affected by the verb.
The verb implies info about the speed, which
systematically affected the Ps memory of the accident
Strengths
Evidence suggesting misleading info
can lead to EWT inacuracy
Lead to new techniques to improve memory
retrieval (Cognitive interview technique)
Weaknesses
Lab experiments= Low EV
Loftus and Palmer
Watching a video- lacks realism
Generalisable as tested students
Can't be certain if misleading information
influences the memory to 'trace' itself
Leading
Questions
A question that, either by form or context,
suggests to the witness what
answer is to be desired or leads them
to a desired answer
Increases the likelihood that a persons schema
will influence them to give the desired answer
Response- Bias explanations
A tendency for interviewees to respond
in the same way to all
questions regardless of context
Substitution Explanation
The wording of the question
actually changes the memory of an event
Misleading
information
Incorrect information
given to the witness
The more believable, emotionally
arousing and subtle= more able to
create false memories
Leading questions &
post event discussion
Yuille & Cutshall
(1986)
Conflicts the finding of a study
Misleading info didnt alter memory
of people who had witnessed real life robbery
Implies misleading info may have a greater
influence in lab and Loftus and Palmer lacks EV
Post event
discussion
Occurs when there is more
than one witness to an event
Conversation between co-witnesses
which may contaminate a witness'
memory of the event
Info combines from other witnesses with own
memories
Explanations
Conformity effect
Repeat interviewing