Memory is not always reliable according to research studies. In a 1974 study by Loftus and Palmer, participants saw a video of a car crash and were later asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed" into each other or "contacted" each other. Those asked about "smashing" estimated higher speeds than those asked about "contacting", showing that wording of questions can manipulate memories. A later 2012 study by Loftus found that over half of participants inaccurately identified their interrogator in a mock prisoner of war scenario after being given misinformation about the interrogator's appearance. These studies demonstrate that memory can be impacted and altered by new information even for stressful or personally relevant events.

1. Reliability of Memory

2. Learning Outcome
 C9- With reference to relevant research studies, to what
extent is one cognitive process (memory) reliable?

3. Your Task
 Watch the following Video and answer the questions on your
questionnaire.
 Pay attention to details.
 Loftus and Palmer (1974)

4. Your Instructions
 Record your estimated speed under the correct category and
calculate the speed for each category.

5. Loftus & Palmer (1974)
Aim: To investigate whether the use of
leading questions would affect recall in a
situation where participants were asked to
estimate speed.
Method: College students were shown a
video of a car crash and asked to answer
the question “About how fast were the cars
going when they into
each other?”
 Smashed, Hit, Collided, bumped, contacted…All
varying degrees of severity

6. Loftus & Palmer (1974) Continued
Findings: The mean estimates of speed
were highest in the “smashed” condition
(40.8 mph) and the lowest in the
“contacted” group (31.8 mph).
Conclusions: Memory can be manipulated
by using specific words when asking a
question.
Humans recreate memory using our
schemas which are impacted by wording of
questions.
Critical Thinking?

7. Loftus’s Theory of Recall
Original
Experience
Integration of
original
Experience
into Long-
Term memory
Question
asked
regarding
original
Experience
Recreation of
Original
Experience
Response to
Question
Original
Experience
Integration of
original
Experience
into Long-
Term memory
Integration of
new info into
LTM
Question
Asked
Reconstructio
n of Memory
w/ new info
Response to
Question
Old Model

8. Loftus et al. (2012)
Aim: To investigate whether misinformation
could affect memory for a recently
experienced, personally relevant, highly
stressful event.
Method:
 Provided misinformation to 800 military
personnel about the interrogator in a mock POW
camp interrogation as part of their Survival
School Training.
 Questions asked about the physical appearance
of the interrogator (Glasses? Weapon?)
 Asked the participants to identify the interrogator
by looking at photographs.

9. Loftus et al (2012)
Findings: More than half of the participants
inaccurately identified their interrogator.
Conclusion: Memories for stressful events
are highly vulnerable to modification by
exposure to misinformation, even in
individuals whose level of training and
experience might help them be more
immune to such influences.
Critical Thinking? Connections?

10. Discussion Questions
 In Ferguson, to what extent can we trust the
eye witness accounts?
Should eye witness accounts be used in
determining whether the Officer should be put
on put on trial for murder?
How accurate do you think your memory is?
Are there times when it is better or worse?
How can we apply these ideas to areas
outside of the courtroom?