Leading questions

What is a leading question?

A question that suggests a particular answer, potentially influencing a witness’s memory or response.

E.g; “How far was the red car speeding when it smashed into the truck?”

What was the aim of Loftus + Palmer’s (1974) experiment 1?

To investigate the effect of leading q’s on the accuracy of eye witness testimony.

What was method of Loftus + Palmer’s (1974) experiment 1?

• 45 American students divided into 5 groups of 9.

• All watched a video of a car crash.

• They were asked to estimate the cars’ seed using different verbs: smashed, collided, bumped, hit or contacted.

• Used an independent measures design.

What were the results of Loftus + Palmer’s (1974) Experiment 1?

Estimated speed varied according to the verb used:

• “Smashed” ~ 40.5 mph.

• “Contacted” ~ 31.8 mph.

What did Loftus + Palmer’s conclude from Experiment 1?

Leading q’s can affect eyewitness judgements because a single word can influence how a witness estimates an event.

What was the aim of Loftus + Palmer’s Experiment 2?

To investigate further how leading q’s affect eyewitness testimony + whether they an distort memory.

What was the method of Loftus + Palmer’s Experiment 2?

• 150 American students watched 1 min video of a car accident.

• They were divided into 3 groups: “smashed”, “hit”, and a control group that received no speed q.

• One week later, they were asked if they seen broken glass (there was none).

What were the results + conclusion of Loftus + Palmer’s Experiment 2?

Results:

• “Smashed” - 32%

• “Hit” - 14%

• Control - 12%

Conclusion:

Leading q’s can distort memory of an original event. “Smashed” may’ve changed pts memory/influenced later answers, causing some to report broken glass that wasn’t present.

Loftus + Palmer A03: Weakness 1: What is a weakness of Loftus and Palmer’s research?

Ecological validity - ptps watched a vid rather than witnessing a real accident. IRL witnesses may exp greater emotional involvement + see only part of an event → Findings may not be accurate.

Weakness 2: What is a weakness of Loftus and Palmer’s research regarding population validity?

Sample=American uni students, may be less experienced drivers therefore findings may not generalise to older/more experienced drivers, who could judge speeds differently.

Strength 1: What is a strength of Loftus and Palmer’s research regarding control + replication?

Lab exp=highly controlled, reducing extraneous v’s, standardised=easy replication.