Unit 1- Sacchi et al (2007) doctored photographs affect memory for past public events ⭐
Aim=To find out if viewing doctored images would change the attitudes a person has towards a past event.
Procedure
To represent the Beijing event a well-known image of a student standing in front of tanks in Tiananmen Square was used. For the Rome event, a photograph depicting peaceful demonstrators marching in front of the Coliseum was used.
There were four possible combinations counterbalanced and randomised when presented:
Sample: Experiment 1 = 187 participants (31 male and 156 female) who were undergraduates (92% Psychology, 8% other). The age range was 19–39 (mean age 22.3 years).
Experiment 2 = 112 participants (35 males, 73 females, 4 did not specify).The age range was 50–84 (mean age 64.9).
For the Beijing event, a conspicuous crowd was added on both sides of the line of tanks. In the photograph for the Rome event, police officers and aggressive-looking demonstrators were placed among the peaceful crowds.
To ensure the doctored Rome photo conveyed violence, two versions were presented to eight independent judges, who rated each image on a peaceful–violent scale. The version rated more violent was selected for the experiment.
two original photos (N=48)
two doctored photos (N=44)
the doctored Beijing photo and original Rome photo (N=43)
the original Beijing photo and doctored Rome photo (N=52)
Three sets of multiple-choice questions were used: manipulation check questions, critical questions and attitude questions
participants responded based on their memories of the event (being asked not to look back at the photograph).
Results= Beijing event: Participants in the two conditions were equally likely to recognise the photograph, regardless of whether the version had been modified or not. Ratings of familiarity with the Beijing event did not differ between the two conditions.
During the debriefing, participants saw both the original and the doctored version of each photograph, and the real purpose of the study was revealed.
Rome event: participants who viewed the original version were more likely to
recognise the photo than those who saw the doctored version. ratings of high familiarity is 73.6% of the participants in the original condition, but by 51.6% in the doctored condition.
Experiment 2= The same photographs from Experiment 1 were used as stimulus material and participants viewed only one of four possible combinations (as in the first experiment). The questions were the same, however one question was added for the Rome event to rate how likely they would be to take part in a similar demonstration.
Conclusion =Viewing modified images affected not only the way people remember past public events, but also their attitudes and behavioural intentions. The effect was similar for younger and older adults, regardless of whether the specific events were recent enough to be remembered first hand.
Evaluation
✅- Study can be well replicated as it's a laboratory experiment and instructions are standardized.
✅ Various replication studies have been done since them with similar findings
❌low population validity , as they are all Italian students
Participants viewed one combination of the photographs for the Beijing event and the Rome event (1). Three sets of multiple-choice questions were used eg, attitude questions (1). Photographs and questions were presented in a printed questionnaire that participants completed in classroom settings (1).