MEMORY IN EVERYDAY LIFE Factors Affecting EWT MISLEADING

MEMORY IN EVERYDAY LIFE Factors Affecting EWT MISLEADING INFORMATION

Learning Objectives To outline Loftus and Palmer’s study on misleading information To evaluate this study in terms of strengths and weaknesses To look at other research which investigates the affect of misleading information on eye witness testimony. To complete past exam questions on this topic

Eye Witness Testimony (EWT) - Evidence given by a witness/observer to a significant event such as a crime We know from last week that they aren’t always accurate Which factors affect the accuracy of EWT? Age Anxiety Misleading information

Loftus and Palmer (1974)

Task 1 Complete the relevant sections in your cognitive booklet which outline the Loftus and Palmer research EXTENSION - Gap-fill task

Evaluation The research method was a laboratory experiment. What are the strengths and weaknesses of this research method in the context of this study? Consider the sample: American students. Can this sample be generalised to other populations? How easy do you think it is to estimate speed? Can you think of some people who might be better at doing this than others? How might this affect the outcome of the study if it was to be repeated with a group of people who have a lot of experience of driving? Do you think people’s estimates might have been affected if they had seen the driver? Can you think of some examples? Do you think people’s estimates might be different, depending on the car, e. g. a Porsche vs Nissan Micra? To what extent can we generalise the findings from this study to other settings/situations? Representativeness: EWT was tested by showing participants video clips. How realistic do you think it was? How would the lab experiment scenario be different from witnessing a real life car accident? Applications/usefulness: How might you use the findings from the two experiments? How valuable was this study? (Think in terms of our justice system)

Lab experiment Strengths: variables can be controlled; in this case, just the leading questions were varied to show the effect on recall. This means that cause and effect relationships can be demonstrated; Limitation: it is a contrived situation and not like real life, where real eye witnesses could feel anxious and this might affect recall.

Sample They would all have been of a similar age and educational background; possibly not much experience of driving and therefore being able to judge speed. Students might be better at remembering and recalling information as they do this all the time. Psychology students may be more likely to work out what the research was about than others.

Estimating speed It is hard to estimate speed. Some people who might be better at judging speed could be: police drivers, Driving instructors, taxi drivers, lorry drivers, despatch riders, bus drivers, anyone who drives for a large part of their job; people who have been driving for longer than your average student (like your parents!). If you had a sample of police drivers, they may be less affected by the leading questions than Loftus and Palmer’s students.

Type of car Driver - Possibly you could estimate that a little old lady was driving more slowly than a “boy racer” Estimate a Porsche to be travelling quicker than a Micra/old banger

Generalise findings - setting The lack of representativeness and the limitations of the sample mean that this study is low in ecological validity – can’t be generalised to real-life setting and was done in an artificial setting. Also important is the contrived nature of the task – not witnessing a crime

Realistic? Watching a film clip is not like watching a real accident because all sorts of information would be excluded. The sound of the accident was excluded and the emotional impact. Being anxious might make people less likely to recall things and more influenced by leading questions. On the other hand, flashbulb memories are thought to be stronger, so emotion might make someone’s memory more accurate. We often have very sharp memories of occasions when we were emotionally aroused. There would be an element of surprise in real life, wouldn’t be expecting it, possibly there may be victims who are hurt or even killed; so there would probably be an emotional impact of witnessing a real life crash; witnesses may talk to each other before being interviewed by the police; there may be a time gap between witnessing an event and giving a statement; there would be a bigger time lapse if you had to give evidence in court.

Applications The findings could be used in a court to make a jury question the reliability of eyewitness testimony. They are also important for giving advice to the police and other people about interviewing witnesses, to avoid their evidence being discredited. Such applications make this a valuable study.

Past Exam Question Outline and evaluate research into the effects of misleading information on Eyewitness Testimony. (8 marks) 4 Marks to outline – i. e. describe the research and findings 4 Marks to evaluate – 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses Complete for HW – Next Tuesday 14/10/14