Elizabeth Loftus(1944 - Present)

Cynthia HoLoftus and Palmer (1974)

Subject of study: Memory Thesis: How memory and eyewitness testimony can be unreliable and can be changed. Relevant to: The cognitive level of analysis With reference to relevant research studies, to what extent is one cognitive process reliable? Discuss how and why particular research methods are used at the cognitive level of analysis. Key study: Loftus and Palmer (1974) Aim To investigate the effect of leading questions and language on memory. Method Participants: Used opportunity sampling to gather forty-five students from a university Design: A laboratory experiment Procedure Participants were asked to watch a video of a traffic accident Participants were then asked to fill out a questionnaire, which included the question How fast were the cars going when they (smashed/collided/bumped/hit/contacted) each other? Findings Elizabeth Loftus found that the participants who had smashed as the verb in their question thought the cars were going the fastest out of all the other participants who received other verbs The verbs, in the order of estimated speed (highest to lowest) were: collided, bumped, hit, and contacted Conclusion The verb that was used in the leading question did alter the participants perceptions of the speed of the car. This may mean that eyewitness testimony is prone to bias because of the way questions can be asked after a crime is committed. Strengths of the experiment Easily replicable in a laboratory setting, so it is a reliable experiment Weaknesses of the experiment It is a laboratory experiment, so it lacks ecological validity. May not be generalizable to the general population, as only students are asked to be participants. Students may not be experienced drivers, so this may have affected their answer.

William C. Dement(1928 - Present)

Cynthia HoDement (1972) Subject of study: Sleep Thesis: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and dreaming are beneficial in regards to health, and can aid in other aspects to life, such as problem solving. Relevant to: the cognitive level of analysis, the biological level of analysis Explain how biological factors may affect one cognitive process. Examine one interaction between cognition and physiology in terms of behaviour. Key study: Dement (1972) Aim To investigate if a nights sleep could help in problem solving. Method Participants: Used opportunity sampling to gather 500 college students Design: Laboratory experiment Procedure Participants were asked to spend fifteen minutes on riddles and brainteasers before bed, and to fall asleep with the problems unsolved The experiment lasted for three nights Findings 87 dreams were reported to be relevant to the riddles, and 7 of those dreams solved the brainteaser. Sleep was most effective in solving the brain teaser on the first night. Conclusion Sleep does have an effect on problem solving. Strengths Can be replicated Large sample size Weaknesses The problems lacked relevance to real life, so participations could easily lose motivation to accomplish the task Therefore, the experiment lacks ecological validity