Reconstruction of Memories

Elizabeth Loftus’

Research

Post Event Information/ Post Event Information/ Misinformation EffectMisinformation Effect

Information given to the eyewitness after the event occurs

• Loftus & Palmer Study(1974): – Does post-event information alter memory for the

original event? – Do misleading questions alter a witness’ memory?– Procedure: Subjects shown video of a traffic

accident involving a stop sign and then asked a series of questions about it

– Half the subjects were asked misleading questions about a yield sign.

Cognitive Psychology: Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience, 2nd Ed. by Bruce Goldstein. Copyright © 2008 by Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Figure 7.14 (p. 262)Picture of traffic accident similar to one seen by the participants in the Loftus et al. (1978) “misleading postevent information “ experiment.

Loftus & Palmer (1974):Loftus & Palmer (1974): ProcedureProcedure

“How fast were the vehicles going when they…”

Group 1: “…smashed into each other?”Group 2: “…collided?”Group 3: “…bumped into each other?”

Group 4: ”…hit each other?”

Group 5: “…contacted?”

Loftus & Palmer (1974):Loftus & Palmer (1974): ResultsResults

30

32

34

36

38

40

42

44

Smashed Collided Bumped Hit Contacted

Estimated Speed

Cognitive Psychology: Mind, Research, and Everyday Experience, 2nd Ed. by Bruce Goldstein. Copyright © 2008 by Wadsworth Publishing, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved.

Group A “How fast was the car going when it passed the barn”

Loftus (1975)viewed film of car accident

(There was no barn)filled out a questionnaire

1 Week later, “Did you see a barn?”

Group A respond “Yes” (more than 20%)Group B respond “No”

Group B “How fast was the car going when it passed the stop sign”

Misleading post-event information can lead to false memories

Effects of misleading information

Implanting New Memories

• Loftus & Pickrell- 3 true events & 1 fictitious “lost in the mall” eventProcedure:– Booklet- description of the event and they provide

more details (3 true, 1 false)– 68% remembered the true events & 29%

remembered the false event– Differences: more descriptive words used to describe

the real events

Can memories be implanted in children?

• Stephen Ceci’s Experiment (1994)• Subjects 96 children, ages 3-6• Each child was read a list of events, one false about

getting their hand caught in a mouse trap• They were told some events not real• “Think really hard”• 91% correctly identified real events• 34% remembered the false event• Age was a factor. Younger children 3-4 more

suggestible

The Kelly Michaels Case

• In 1988, a school teacher named Kelly Michaels was convicted of 115 counts of sexual abuse against twenty 3 to 5 year-old children

• She was sentenced to 47 years in prison.