Eyewitnesses are more likely to overestimate the speed of two cars involved in a collision if they are asked how fast they were going when they "smashed into each other" than when they "hit each other."

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is based on the findings of a study by Loftus and Palmer (1974), which demonstrated that the wording of a question can influence eyewitness memory, leading to an overestimation of speed when more severe-sounding verbs are used.

Eyewitnesses Are More Likely to Overestimate the Speed of Two