Loftus and Palmer (1974) - Study | Psychology

IB Questions

• Reliability of Cognitive Processing - Reconstructive Memory

Name of the Researcher(s)

Loftus and Palmer

Publication

1974

Method

True Experiment (Laboratory)

Design

Independent Sample Design

Aim

To investigate if the use of leading questions affect an eyewitnesses’ speed estimation.

Procedure and Participants

Participants - 45 Students

1. Participants were shown a short film of a traffic accident.

2. They were given a questionnaire afterward asking them to estimate the speed of the car involved in the accident.

3. The questionnaires had a leading question where one word was written differently: Smashed, Collided, Bumped, Hit, Contacted.

Question Format: “How fast were the cars going when they ___ each other?”

Results

The more intense the word was, the higher average speed estimate was.

Conclusion

Leading questions can reconstruct memories.

Strengths

+ High Internal Validity
+ Cause-and-Effect

Limitations

- Low Ecological Validity