Misleading information

AO1

Leading questions Loftus and Palmer: Procedure one - 45 students, 7 films of traffic accidents. About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other? (Control group). Mean speed estimate for verb: smashed (40.1), collided (39.3), bumped (38.1), hit (34.0), contacted (31.8). The critical question was a leading question as it suggested the answer. Procedure two - new participants in 3 groups shown 1 minute car accident and asked same question. A week later 10 questions. Did you see any broken glass? Smashed (16 yes, 34 no), hit (7 yes, 43 no), and control (6 yes, 44 no). Shows leading question changed actual memory of event.

Post-event discussion: Conformity effect - co-witnesses may reach consensus view. Gabbert made pairs (they saw different videos of same accident and so different features). Encouraged to dicuss before individually recall. It was found 71% had mistakenly recalled information acquired from discussion. Repeat interviewing can cause interviewer's comments to be incorportated into witness' recollection. They may use leading question which can alter the memory of events. LaRooy found this is common for interviewing child witnesses to crime.

AO3

Resarch support - Loftus cut-out of Bugs Bunny…