The correct ordering of the words used in the Loftus and Palmer (1974)study that prompted the SLOWEST numeric group estimate of car speed to the FASTEST is:
A)Bumped, contacted, hit, collided, smashed
B)Smashed, collided, bumped, hit, contacted
C)Contacted, hit, bumped, collided, smashed
D)Bumped, collided, contacted, hit, smashed
E)Contacted, bumped, hit, collided, smashed

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Loftus and Palmer's study aimed to investigate how the language used to describe a collision can influence eyewitnesses' memory of the event. Participants watched a video of a car accident and were asked to estimate the speed of the cars involved. Afterwards, they were asked a follow-up question that framed the collision in different ways using synonyms for "hit": "smashed", "collided", "bumped", "contacted", or "hit". The study found that participants who were asked about the collision using the word "smashed" gave the highest speed estimates, while those who were asked using the word "contacted" gave the lowest. Therefore, the correct ordering from slowest to fastest estimate would be: contacted, hit, bumped, collided, smashed. Choice C reflects this ordering.

The Correct Ordering of the Words Used in the Loftus