Summary
Summary Loftus + Palmer (1974) - study on eyewitness testimony
- Module
- AS Unit G542 - Core Studies
- Institution
- OCR
A summary of classic key study - Loftus Palmer (1974)
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
Loftus and Palmer (1974): Study on Eyewitness TestimonyMemory
A key feature of memory is being able to recall information – known as retrieval.
Memory is used throughout our lives and is particularly important in some cases, for
example, witnessing a crime and having to recall the sequence of events to help the
police convict someone – this is known as eye witness testimony (EWT).
Brown (1986) stated “judges, defence attorneys and psychologists believe it to be
just about the least trustworthy kind of evidence of guilt, whereas jurors have always
found it more persuasive than any other sort of evidence.
Reconstructive memory – this can affect EWT as memory is reconstructed after the
event has occurred and includes information that we have received after the event
and information from schemas – therefore it is not what we actually remember but
an altered memory incorporating this extra information.
Stereotypes - a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular
type of person or thing.
Schemas - a pattern of thought or behaviour that organises categories of information
and the relationships among them.
Leading questions – a question that suggests what answer is desired or leads to the
desired answer.
Aim
To investigate how information supplied after an event, influences a witness’s
memory of that event.
Hypothesis
The participants who are asked the smashed question will give higher speed
estimated (MPH) than participants who are asked the hit, bumped, contacted,
collided question.
Method and Design
The research method used was a lab experiment.
IV – the verb that was used in the critical question. 5 verbs were used: smashed,
bumped, collided, hit, contacted.
DV – the speed estimate given in MPH.
The experimental design was independent measures. Participants only took part in
one condition which was based on the verb used. Participants were only asked the
critical question containing one of the 5 verbs.
Participants
The participants consisted of 45 students from an American university.
They were split into 5 groups, each contained 9 students.
Each group had a different verb used in their critical question.
Procedure
Participants were asked to watch 7 video clips of different car accidents sourced
from the Seattle Police Department. All clips lasted between 5-30 seconds. The clips
were shown to the groups in a counterbalanced order.
The videos were of staged crashed, because the clips were educational and there are
ethical issues with showing real crashes.
The actual speed that the cars were travelling in the clips was only known by the
experimenters.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller daisyjohnson18. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
79789 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now