Argue - There are variables that may affect memory and recall.
Aim - How information provided after an event in the form of leading questions may effect peoples memories.
Experiment 1
Participants - 45 students from the University of Washington.
Procedure - Participants shown seven videos of car crashes ranging from 4 to 30 seconds long. The videos were excerpts from drivers ed courses so the researchers were aware of the speeds of the cars. The videos were shown to the participants in random order. After each video participants were given a questionnaire which asked them to give an account of the film they had seen. Then they were asked to answer some questions based on what they had seen. Most of the questions were 'filler
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Experiment 2
Participants - 150 students from the University of Washington.
Procedure - The participants were shown a short film of a multiple car crash, which lasted for one minute, though the action lasted for four seconds. The participants were split into three groups. The first group were asked: How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other? The second group were asked: How fast were the cars going when they hit each other? The third group was the control group and were not asked about the speed of the cars. A week later the participants were recalled and asked some more questions about the film. Nine of these were filler questions. The critical question was: Did you see any broken glass? This question appeared randomly in the other question. (There was no broken glass in the film)
Results - The results supported that of the first experiment. The participants in the smashed condition overestimated the speed of the cars. The participants who reported seeing broken glass: Condition|% who answered yes. Smashed|32%, Hit|14%, Control|12%.
Discussion - The results suggest that the verb used affect memory - altering their perception a week later. The word smashed incorporates broken glass in to their memories as the word smashed implies broken glass.
Loftus and Palmer support the reconstructive memory hypothesis. They believe that information gathered at the time of an icident is
The Mythbusters tested the idea that driving while talking on a cell phone is just as dangerous as driving drunk. To test this, they had two people attempt the same driving course three times: once sober with no distractions, once sober while distracted by a phone conversation, and once intoxicated. The independent variables in this experiment are, therefore, the use of a cell phone and the driver’s alcohol level. The dependent variable is the driver’s ability to successfully complete the course, including stopping on time and avoiding the cones outlining the course.
In this paper I will revisit Russon’s definition of memory, and three of the aspects that he presents as important in the memory process. I will also argue that our body play an important role for our remembering, as does the objects we interact with. As well as present my position on Russon description of memory demonstrating that Russon’s description is indeed relatable to the actual human experience.
Crash test dummies, Vince and Larry set down in their crash-test symbol a covered car without their seat belt. They peel off stickers in a frantic manner. Their car swerves past several other cars at light speed with honking in the background, avoiding several collisions. These dummies are sick and tired of having to crash all the time, so they can inform teenagers about wearing their seatbelt.
The memories were contradicted based on solid evidence such as DNA and alibis. Professor Loftus set out to prove the unreliability of supposed repressed memories. Methods Professor Loftus selected 24 mentally healthy college students. With the help of the participants' families, Professor Loftus was able to make a packet with three true memories and one false.
Anyone reading Joshua Foer’s “The End of Remembering” can assume that he knows a lot about the brain and how it works. After all he graduated from Yale in 2004, and later went on to become the 2006 United States Memory Champion. With Foer’s interest in mental athletes he decided to do a journalism project to study them. This project would end up being the result of his book, Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything from which “The End of Remembering” is one of the chapters. In this chapter Foer’s lays a solid foundation of the development of writing. He also includes historical views of remembering and how we learned in terms of our memory. Foer not only gives historical views but supports his claims with science
The Mythbusters observed the myth that driving whilst talking on the phone is as dangerous as driving drunk. They formed their hypothesis that driving on the phone is as dangerous as driving drunk. Then, they tested their hypothesis. They created an experiment that would have participants drive a car through a course three times. Each time a participant went through the course, they experience different conditions. The first time, both participants drove through the course normally. This served as the control group for the experiment. The second time, participants were asked questions over the phone while they completed the course, and, the third time, they were drunk when they drove through the course. Throughout the experiment, there were several independent variables in place to ensure that only one variable was being tested.
For this experiment a closed course is recommended in order to limit the danger of the test to both the test subject and others. During the test there should be less distractions’ such as listening to the radio and talking to the passenger in the car. The primary reason for eliminating other distracting factors is to test the hypothesis that texting while driving interferes with driving skills. Also the main reason why the control test is performed is to compare the conditions of the people texting while driving. From here, the next stage or step would be assigning subjects ( both male and females) people to the test. This test should consist of a diverse group of both male and female and should be chosen from a wide range of ages. During the test the subjects should be given the same conditions to drive in, such as using; the same car (vehicle), and at the same time of day in order to make this test valid and accurate. From there the next step would be to check if the test is fair for those in the control group as compared to those driving while on the cell phone. In this experiment the subjects should drive first in the control conditions, then while on the
Throughout this investigation, data collection and statistical analysis will be performed to determine the validity of the following claim; “for driving a car, quick reactions are the most important factor. Males will be better drivers than females because they have faster reaction times” (Michael, 2014). In terms of driving, the time it takes for an individual to react to stimulus will have a major impact on the outcome of the situation. In an emergency, a driver may be required to rapidly slam on the breaks or turn the steering wheel, however it the individuals reaction time is slower than average, the likelihood of a collision is much greater. For instance, when an individual with a
The third test showed; At 35 miles an hour, Mr. Alterman’s average reaction time was .57 seconds, but while texting it rose to 1.36 seconds, more than twice his average reaction time of .64 seconds while under the influence. Mr. Brown fared better, but his average reaction time of .45 seconds rose to .52 seconds while texting, worse than his average time of .46 seconds while driving drunk. The results of the tests at 70 miles an hour were better in terms of reaction times. But at highway speeds, the extra distance traveled before coming to a complete stop was much greater. For example, Mr. Alterman traveled an average of four feet farther while driving drunk and an average of 70 feet farther while texting(“Chang“).
The Car Crash Study was done in 1974 by Loftus and Palmer that was aimed to test their theory that the language used in an eyewitness testimonies can alter the eyewitness’s memory of the event. They got 45 American students and showed them 7 films of traffic accidents, ranging from 5 to 30 seconds, in a random order. Afterwards the subjects were asked to describe what happened as if they were at the accident. They were then asked more specific questions such as, “About how fast were the cars going when they (smashed/ collided/ bumped/ hit/ contacted) each other?’. This was to see if the if the verb used in the question would affect the answers given by the subjects which it did. In the next part of the experiment they showed 150 students a one-minute film that showed a car driving through the country side followed by four seconds of a multiple traffic accident. Afterwards they split the students into three groups and asked them different questions. The first group was asked “How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?”, the second group was asked “How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?”, and the third group was kept as a control group and wasn’t asked anything. One week later they were asked, without seeing the film, ten questions about the film. One question asked “Did you see any broken glass? Yes or No?” which there was none. The results showed that more participants who were asked “How fast were the cars going when they smashed?” said
The issue I will be investigating within this report involves the number the level of licence held by drivers and how this influences the overall number of fatalities within Queensland. This issue is paramount due to it intertwines with the health and safety of Queensland motorists. I will display the key points of this issue through the use of data such as box plots, tables and scatter plots which I will then conduct an analysis through statistical calculations and assumptions made about the data. Will this information I will then make
Loftus and Palmer conducted their research using two laboratory experiments. By using this method, the IV (the verb used) directly effects the DV (estimate of speed) which creates a cause and effect relationship. This means that internal validity is high as the IV has a casual effect. Loftus and Palmer have control over any extraneous variables such as noise and temperature. However, lab experiments lack ecological validity. The participants only watched a video of a car accident unlike experiencing or observing a real life car accident. The participants won’t have the same emotionally attachment. Another issue is that questionnaire is given to the
the use of the word "the" suggests there was a broken headlight and therefore the participant goes on to build up a memory for that headlight (Loftus and Zanni 1975). The language used in questioning eyewitnesses may alter what they remember. Loftus and Palmer (1975) showed their participants a series of projector slides of a multiple car accident. The participants then answered specific questions. It was found out that the information implicit in the question affected memory, even though the questions apparently only differed
After the driving simulation, participants will be asked to complete a short (approx. 5 min) survey about their lifestyle choices in the 24 hours preceding the study (e.g. food intake, hours of sleep). They will then be asked to leave out a door connected to the study room so that the next participant will not have the opportunity to interact with one that has already completed to study to ensure no flow of information.
Mr. Clark is an 82 year old gentleman who was in a recent minor motor vehicle accident, presented with decreased reaction time. Through careful open ended questions I would ask for responses as to what time of day was he driving? If his response was bright day or night, I would educate Mr. Clark on the effects of vision and light with aging due to vision sensitivity and decline. As we get older our pupils get smaller and more sensitive to glare such as light on glaring on windshields at night and sun light during the day, to help with these effects I would suggest Mr. Clark to drive during the ambient part of the day to ease the transition of bright to dark with harsh light of the day and focus at night.