Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION

Loftus' False Memory Experiment Revised and Amplified Ena Katavic Saint Peter's College

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION Abstract This experiment was conducted to reexamine and expand Loftus' False Memory Experiment (1974). When asked how fast did the two automobiles go before they had an accident, different

severity action verbs were used to test subjects' speed estimation. Loftus later questioned subjects on nonexistent information, finding that severe action verb caused false memory. Current experiment tested subjects on anger perception. The independent variable was the language tone. Dependent variables were anger perception and a follow-up memory question. Both hypothesis were rejected, suggesting that tone language manipulation may not be as effective as speed estimation when testing for false memory effects.

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION Loftus' False Memory Experiment Revised and Amplified People have always questioned how much one's memories could be trusted as being true to what really happened. Often, a group of people has different memories of the same past event. Elizabeth F. Loftus (1974) conducted a study in which she tested whether or not people's memories can change post-event due to the way they were asked to recall certain information regarding it. Loftus presented the subjects with the same automobile accident, after which she

asked them to recall some details from the event. Without the subjects' awareness, she distributed four different sets of questions. The only difference between the questions was the target word used to describe the actual contact between the two automobiles, ranging from contacted to smashed. All subjects were asked to estimate the speed of the automobiles prior to the accident. Loftus found that the more severe the action verb was, with smashed being the most severe, the faster was the automobiles speed estimate. Loftus thus found a significant effect in changing the subjects' speed perception memory by the use of the misleading action verb. Loftus also tested the subjects on false memory effect by asking them about a detail of the accident scene that was purely fictional. She found that those subjects who received the most severe action verb question about the accident were more likely to associate the fictional detail with the accident. With this study, Loftus found significant effects in creating false memories about an event due to subjects' tendency to associate certain motives with an event. The current study followed Loftus' experiment model, but used language tone verbs to manipulate the subjects' perceptional memory on a presented emotion. A follow up question was also introduced, testing subjects on the knowledge of a fictional item from the past event. The

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION follow up question was introduced to test whether or not the subjects who received the most severe language tone question would also associate the fictional item with the past even as a result of motives association. Based on the previous research, it was expected that the subjects who received the most

severe language tone question would rate the presented emotion more radical than the subjects who received milder language tone questions. It was also expected from the targeted subjects to report false memory details of the presented event. Method Participants Seventy five individuals found on Saint Peter's College volunteered to participate in this experiment. Materials A video camera was used to film a video clip of approximately three minutes in length for the purpose of exposing the subjects to the anger emotion. The theme of the video clip was a typical classroom setting before the beginning of a class. The targeted question action occurred in the approximate middle of the video clip. The targeted action was not emphasized in regards to other actions occurring. The video clip was presented through the use of an overhead projector. Three sets of ten recall questions were created. The sets differed in one question, in which the language tone was either mumbled, spoke, or screamed. All three sets of questions had the same false memory question as their last question. The subjects had to choose their answer by circling a number from the Lickert scale, ranging from one, corresponding to Strongly Disagree, to five, corresponding to Strongly Agree.

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION Design This experiment had one independent variable which was the language tone manipulation. The independent variable had three levels; attenuated mumble, neutral spoke, and pronounced screamed. The independent variable was manipulated between subjects. The two dependent variables were anger emotion perception and false memory report. Procedure Participants were tested all at once. They were instructed to watch a short video clip through

an overhead projector. Upon finishing, an even number of subjects were randomly classified into the three groups by the set of questions they received. The participants were not informed that the questions differed. Upon answering, each participant was thanked for their participation. Results The two dependent variables were anger emotion perception and false memory report. Figure 1 demonstrates the average score on the anger perception question across the three conditions of the independent variable. Figure 2 demonstrates the average score on the existence of the false memory across the three conditions. Two ANOVA analysis were used to process the collected data, one for each of the dependent variables. No significant effects occurred, with both F1,F2<1. Discussion Current experiment was conducted to reexamine and amplify Loftus' False Memory Experiment (1974). According to that study, subjects' memories of an accidental event were prone to manipulation by the use of target action verbs as recall questions. Loftus found a

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION

significant effect in changing the subjects' speed perception memory by the use of the misleading action verb. Loftus' aldo found that those subjects who received the most severe action verb question about the accident were more likely to associate the fictional detail with the accident, causing false memory effect. Current experiment followed Loftus' experiment method, but substituted speed estimation with anger emotion perception through language tone manipulation. Three sets of questions were created for the three conditions; attenuated, neutral, and pronounced language tone. The same false memory question was added to each set of questions. The participants were tested all at once, not knowing that they have been equally divided into three testing groups. Significant effects did not result, suggesting that anger emotion detection may not be as concrete of a skill as speed estimation. The target action verbs made no significant difference in subject's answer choices. Also, anger emotion detection made no significant difference in recalling the fictional action from the event as a means to detecting false memory. Future studies of False Memory Effect should use trained actors to act and film the video clip. In this experiment, filmed individuals may have made other actions in the clip more pronounced than others, offsetting the subjects.

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION References Loftus, E. F., & Palmer. J. C. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile destruction: an example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 13, 585-589.

Running head: LOFTUS' EXPERIMENT AMPLIFICATION