Experiment 1: Verb Choice and Speed Estimates
Loftus and Palmer's first experiment examined how different verbs affected participants' estimates of vehicle speed in accident scenarios. This study is fundamental to understanding factors affecting eyewitness testimony psychology.
The researchers employed a laboratory experiment with an independent measures design. They showed 45 American students seven film clips of traffic accidents and then asked them to estimate the speed of the vehicles involved. The critical question varied the verb used: "How fast were the cars going when they [hit/smashed/collided/contacted/bumped] each other?"
Results revealed a clear correlation between verb intensity and speed estimates:
- "Smashed" produced the highest average estimate at 40.8 mph
- "Contacted" yielded the lowest at 31.8 mph
Highlight: The choice of verb in questioning significantly influenced participants' speed estimates, with more intense verbs leading to higher speed judgments.
Example: When asked about cars that "smashed" into each other, participants estimated speeds about 9 mph faster than when the cars were described as having "contacted" each other.
This experiment demonstrates the power of language in shaping memory and perception, a crucial consideration in eyewitness testimony psychology. It underscores the importance of careful questioning in legal contexts to avoid inadvertently influencing witness accounts.
Vocabulary: Schema theory - A psychological concept proposing that memory is influenced by pre-existing knowledge and experiences, which form mental frameworks or 'schemas' that guide interpretation of new information.
The study's foundation in schema theory and reconstructive memory provides a theoretical framework for understanding how post-event information can alter eyewitness recollections, a key aspect of factors affecting eyewitness testimony psychology.
