When it comes to human memory and cognition, eyewitness accounts are of paramount importance in the world of psychological research. Understandably, its relevance reaches even far into places like legal proceedings and investigations. That said, you can only imagine how important it is to understand the factors that shape and influence these testimonies. By doing so, we can determine if they are reliable or not. Which then determines if someone gets a fair trial or goes to prison for no reason.
Misinformation has always been an issue when it comes to eyewitnesses. Sometimes, the most minor thing throws them off their game. For example, a simple “Did you see a gun?” from law enforcement after the fact can distort everything they remember. Imagine what a stressful situation would do, then? Not only would memory accuracy be compromised, but it would also create discrepancies with details.
Elizabeth Loftus is a giant in the field of eyewitness memory research. She is undoubtedly an expert cognitive psychologist who contributed a lot to our understanding of how memories cannot be trusted (Loftus, 1975). Her work led her to conduct studies showing how easily memories can be manipulated, known as the misinformation effect. There was a car accident in one of her most famous tests, and participants were shown a video of it. They were then asked questions about what they saw. The questions varied, but the two most important ones were “How fast were the cars going when they contacted?” and “How fast were they going when they smashed?”.
The results were not too shocking but still important: wording matters. Those asked how fast the cars were moving when they “smashed” into each other gave higher speed estimates than those asked about how fast they were moving when they “contacted.” This shows that small language changes could shape or distort people’s memories of an event, even if nothing else causes them to forget something. The implications for this are massive, especially in legal situations where eyewitness accounts are so vital.
In another experiment, Loftus and John Palmer explored the impact of our chosen words on memory accuracy. To conduct their research, participants were shown a film of a car accident (Loftus & Palmer, 1974). They then asked questions about it afterward. There was one difference in their questioning; some used the word “contracted” while others used “smashed.” The results found that the wording significantly influenced speed estimates. This was like the other studies they did. This shows the importance of using precise and neutral language when conducting interviews to preserve accurate accounts and lower false memories.
In conclusion, our understanding of psychological research is thanks to our ability to remember things. However, knowing how easily external factors can influence us is essential. Elizabeth Loftus’s research, in particular, has profoundly affected our understanding of this concept. They allow us to look at ways to improve practices relying on eyewitness testimony, like law enforcement. A takeaway from all her work is the importance of interpreting memories when they are not correctly recalled. These accounts can shape investigations and even remove someone’s freedom if not handled carefully.
References
Loftus, E. F., & Palmer, J. C. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile destruction: An example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of verbal learning and verbal behavior, 13(5), 585–589.
Loftus, E. F. (1975). Leading questions and the eyewitness report. Cognitive psychology, 7(4), 560-572.
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