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Loftus and Palmer (1974) - Coggle Diagram
Loftus and Palmer (1974)
Aim
To investigate whether post-event information, such as leading questions influenced the estimated speed of a car in eyewitnesses
Evaluation :green_cross:
*lab experiment = lacks ecological validity, increases demand characteristics
mundane realism = watching a car crash video and given a questionnaire is not a typical task, realistic of eyewitness procedure
Sample = all students from Washington uni, less representative of eyewitness population, harder to generalise findings
Use of video clips = not real life, decreases ecological validity, lacks emotional response
Evaluation :check:
useful practical applications = eye witnesses may not be accurate, the wording of questions can influence responses
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lab experiment = standardised, can control variables*
Procedure 2
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watched a one minute clip, the car accident lasting 4 seconds
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split into 3 groups asked critical question 'About how fast were the cars going when they smashed/hit each other' or no question
1 week later
answered 10 questions about the accident, without watching the clip again
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Procedure 1
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all had the same questionnaire with the exception of the verb in the question 'About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?'
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Conclusion
Procedure 1
The change of word could significantly affect a witness' answer to a question. This could be due to:
the wording of the question changed the pp's memory of the accident so recall it being more severe than it was
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Results
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Procedure 2
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however, the verb in the question influenced the pp’s recall of the accident ('smashed' mean speed = 10.46 mph, “hit” mean speed = 8 mph)