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SAQ practice

The study by Loftus and Palmer investigated how misleading questions can alter memory recall. Participants watched a video of a car accident and were asked about the speed of the cars using different verbs, which influenced their speed estimates. The findings demonstrate that the framing of questions can significantly affect the reconstruction of memories, highlighting the unreliability of eyewitness testimony.

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37 views1 page

SAQ practice

The study by Loftus and Palmer investigated how misleading questions can alter memory recall. Participants watched a video of a car accident and were asked about the speed of the cars using different verbs, which influenced their speed estimates. The findings demonstrate that the framing of questions can significantly affect the reconstruction of memories, highlighting the unreliability of eyewitness testimony.

Uploaded by

molli.moss.26
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Explain one study of reconstructive memory.

Reconstructive memory is the idea that our memories are not exactly what happened. They
are like a puzzle we piece together based on our experiences, knowledge and beliefs. For
example, when we try to remember something, we fill in the gaps with information that
makes sense. This leads to changes or distortions in the way we recall our memories.
Reconstructive memory is particularly relevant in the context of eyewitness testimony. This is
because the reliability of memory is crucial, especially in legal cases.

One study that supports the idea of reconstructive memory was constructed by Loftus and
Palmer. The researchers aimed to see if memory can be altered by misleading questions
posed after an event had taken place. They used an independent measures design on
university students involving 50 participants. The participants watched a video of a car
accident, and then after watching the video, were split into 5 different groups. Each group
were told the same questions “What was the speed of the car when it ‘verb used’? They had
changed a crucial part of the questions which was the verb used. The groups were asked if
the cars smashed, collided, bumped, hit and contacted. The changing of the verb was
misleading for some of the participants as some were more exaggerated than others, this
later affected the dependent variable which was the response to the over or
under-exaggerated verbs. The results showed that the changing of the verb affected how the
participants interpreted the speed of the car. Those who had heard “smashed” estimated a
greater speed than the participants who heard “collided” or “hit”. Therefore, this study shows
that the way questions are framed affects how people's memories are reconstructed.
Highlighting the unreliability of eyewitness testimony and also proving that our memory can
be influenced and layered by external factors.

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