Chapter 1. Misinformation Effect

Introduction

This experiment is a replication of one of Elizabeth Loftus’s Misinformation Effect experiments.

Experiment Setup

Instructions

You will need to press the space bar to begin the experiment. You will then be shown a film. When it ends, you will be asked a series of questions about it. Please answer as accurately as you can.

Experiment

Results

Debriefing

Elizabeth Loftus’s Misinformation Effect experiments showed that the accuracy of what is remembered from a particular situation relies to some extent upon the style and content of the questions asked of witnesses. The results of this study are consistent with the view of Loftus that memory is constructive and thus prone to errors in recall.

False memories in eyewitnesses are a problem for law enforcement; a better understanding of what factors influence the fallibility of memory would help police be more aware of how their actions influence eyewitness reports.

In particular, Loftus and her colleagues demonstrated that the phrasing of questions to eyewitnesses influences the information that they report. These results suggest that lawyers and law enforcement officials must take great care with crime witnesses to ensure that their memories are not corrupted by leading questions. Loftus’s work has been so influential that defense attorneys have often called upon her as an expert witness to testify to the fallibility of eyewitness testimony.

References:

Loftus, E. F. (2005). Planting misinformation in the human mind: A 30-year investigation of the malleability of memory. Learning & Memory, 12, 361-366.

Loftus, E. F. (2005). Searching for the neurobiology of the misinformation effect. Learning & Memory, 12, 1, 1-2.

Loftus, E. F., & Palmer, J. C. (1974). Reconstruction of an automobile destruction: An example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 13, 585-589.

Quiz