Evaluation- Eye witness

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  • Created by: HanG07
  • Created on: 26-06-16 09:48

Eye- witness

AdvantagesGetting Started

  • Controlled variable- this mean that the EV and the CV is controlled which makes it reliable and also the the DV is caused by the IV therefore make a conclusion.
  • Replicability-This research can be easily replicated therefore we can make stronger conclusions and you can check your results again by repeating the experiment.
  • Real life applications- Research shows that memory is not dependable. From this eye witness we can improve how we do eye-witness accounts. Recently research has led to a change in questioning techniques - Cognitive interview. This is a strength because it show how valid the information will become.

Disadvantages

  • Lack of ecological validity- It doesn't relate to really life because it's in a controlled environment. Your experience in real life would be different in comparison watching it on a screen. Some might remember is well (Brown's study of 'flash bulb' memory)  whereas others may be traumatised and would want to forget it and keep it repressed.
  • Demand characteristics- The participants may have guessed what Loftus and Palmer were trying to experiement and therefore either changed their answers to benefit the research or to contradict it. The research wont be reliable.
  • Sample- All of the participants were students. Therefore there may have been a large amount of them who doesn't drive so they won't have experience how fast a car is travelling. Plus the sample is too small to generalise.

Evaluation

Therefore this suggests that Loftus and Palmer's that although their experiment was reliable and had some validity, it's not very relatable in real life situations.

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