What did Loftus and Palmer study primarily investigate?

• A. Eyewitness testimony and how leading questions can distort memory.
• B. The accuracy of long-term memory for faces.
• C. Genetic influences on memory.
• D. The role of rehearsal in forgetting.

Answer: (C)

The key idea here is that memory for an event can be distorted by the way questions are asked, showing that recall is reconstructive rather than a perfect record. Loftus and Palmer explored how eyewitnesses’ memories can be influenced by post-event information and language. In their car crash studies, participants watched videos of collisions and were asked questions about speed using different verbs like “smashed,” “collided,” or “contacted.” The harsh-sounding verbs led to higher speed estimates, and later tests showed participants were more likely to report seeing details that weren’t present, such as broken glass, after being asked with leading wording. This demonstrates the misinformation effect: memory can be altered by the wording of questions, a finding with important legal implications for the reliability of eyewitness testimony.

So, the study is about eyewitness testimony and how leading questions distort memory, rather than about long-term memory for faces, genetic influences on memory, or the role of rehearsal in forgetting.