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A single verb changes what witnesses claim they saw.

Loftus and Palmer showed a crash film in 1974. Asked how fast the cars were going when they "smashed", viewers averaged 40.8 mph; with "contacted" only 31.8. A week later 32 percent of the "smashed" group reported broken glass – there was none in the film.

Useful: How you phrase a question changes the answer, and sometimes the memory behind it.

Source: simplypsychology.org

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Difficulty:

Question on this card

What happened when Loftus and Palmer changed the verb in the question?

  1. Nothing, estimates stayed the same
  2. Speed estimates rose by about 9 mph
  3. Witnesses refused to estimate
  4. Only men were influenced
Show the answer

Correct: Speed estimates rose by about 9 mph

"Smashed" produced 40.8 mph, "contacted" 31.8 mph.

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