Dale Craft Number Psychology S.L.

24th of October, 2013 word count

An Experiment to Investigate Eyewitness and Reconstructive Memory

Comment [kr1]: I would change the title to something like An Experiment Investigating the Reconstructive Nature of Memory in Eyewitnesses. The way this is worded, it sounds like youre trying to say that eyewitness memory is a type of memory, but it isnt. The eyewitness is the one doing the remembering.

Abstract The aim of this study was to test eyewitness accuracy the accuracy of eyewitnesses when reconstructing memories. The independent variable (I.V.) in our experiment was a car crash, and our dependent variable (D.V.) was the reported speed during impact. This study utilized the independent measures design. In order to participate, the candidates had to be present in the room in which the study took place. The participants were briefed on the study. Slips of paper with speed options ranging from 10mph to 65mph were placed face-down on their desks. A video of a car crash at an intersection played in front of the group of participants. Both cars were going 35mph at the point of impact. After the video ended, participants were instructed to flip over their pieces of paper and proceed to fill in the speed they reconstructed, felt that boththe cars were going. AftwardAfterward, we collected the papers and thanked the participants for participating in our study. The results of our study supported our aim, in that the majority of participants could not correctly reconstruct the speed at which the cars were going at point of impact. This proves that eyewitnesses often cannot correctly reconstruct memories.
Comment [kr4]: Not too bad so far, but I feel like a lot of it should go in the method rather than the abstract. The abstract is more of a generalized summary of your work, and thus I think its easier to write it at the end of the paper when you have everything laid out properly. Comment [kr2]: In Loftus study, the independent variable was the way in which the question was proposed. One group was asked the speed when the cars smashed into one another while the other group was asked the speed when the cars contacted one another, or something to that effect. The dependent variable was the reported speed, as said below. Comment [kr3]: The speed during impact does not change; only the perceived speed changes.

Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION.01 2. METHOD UTILIZED..02-04 2.1 Design..02 2.2 Participants...03