Experiment Design and Methodology
Loftus and Palmer conducted two experiments to investigate the effect of leading questions on eyewitness testimony. Their research focused on how specific word choices could influence participants' memory and perception of car accidents.
Definition: Leading questions are questions that suggest or prompt a specific answer, potentially influencing the respondent's recall or judgment.
In the first experiment, 45 student participants watched seven film clips of traffic accidents. After each clip, they completed a questionnaire about the accident, including a critical question about the cars' speed. The researchers varied the verb used in this question (smashed, collided, bumped, hit, or contacted) to assess its impact on speed estimates.
Example: The critical question might be phrased as "How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" or "How fast were the cars going when they contacted each other?"
The second experiment involved 150 participants divided into three groups. They watched a film of a multiple-car crash and were asked questions, including the critical speed question. One week later, participants returned to answer additional questions, including whether they had seen broken glass in the accident footage.
Highlight: The inclusion of a one-week delay in the second experiment allowed researchers to examine the long-term effects of suggestive language on memory.
