Simran Week Five: Phrasing of Questions
How accurate do you think your memories are? Well, it turns out your memories are not actually that accurate. In fact, the words people use can impact your memory of an event. The article “Loftus and Palmer” by Dr. Saul McLeoud discusses an experiment conducted by Elizabeth Loftus that sought to discover how the phrasing of questions can affect people’s memories of an event. In the experiment, individuals watched a clip of a car colliding with another car. They were then asked, “About how fast were the cars going when they (smashed / collided / bumped / hit / contacted) each other?” Based on the verb used, the individuals gave different answers on what speed they thought the cars were going at. Individuals asked a question with the word “smashed” answered on average the highest speed, then the word “collided,” then “bumped,” then “hit,” and then “contacted.”
When I first learned about this experiment, I was very surprised that the phrasing of a question can impact one’s memory of an event so much. There was a difference of about 8 mph between the highest and lowest average speed. Although I had thought that there would be a slight difference in speeds due to the word used, I did not think there would be this big a difference. This experiment made me think about how one’s memory can be so easily influenced and how this can be especially concerning in cases. If there is a robbery, it is important that witnesses’ memory is as accurate as possible in order to catch the suspect quickly.
One of the things I learned in order to have as accurate a recall as possible after an event such as a car crash or a robbery is to write all the information down instantly after witnessing the event. This way when you need to give a report (such as when the police come and ask questions), your memory of the event won’t be affected by any questions asked. In addition, this also allows you to not forget any details that you might have otherwise lost over time. What are some tricks you all use to remember items?
Works Cited: https://www.simplypsychology.org/loftus-palmer.html
Image Cited: https://masterofmemory.com/mmem-0160-language-learning-memory-palace-locations-use-topical-vocabulary/
Comments
I think the experiment you mentioned is very interesting. I learned in a class once that when doing surveys, the questions should be asked in a way that ensures it does not create bias, such as using closed ended questions or asking questions that are swayed to one side. An example can be "do you like dogs or cats" when the person likes neither, but is forced to choose one side. Another example can be "what makes mint chocolate disgusting," since it already implies that the person dislikes mint chocolate ice cream. It is also interesting how we and others can alter our memory. I heard once they did an experiment where they showed innocent people videos of them robbing a bank, and in the end, they all thought they did it.
The framing effect is something that people administering surveys need to be aware of in order to make sure the participants’ answers do not experience bias from anything else other than themselves. Human memory is not the most reliable thing, which is why when listening to other peoples’ testimonies, judges need to remain skeptical and objective. In order to remember items, say, tasks I need to complete for the day, I like to write them down and make a list. For remembering specific details, I like to associate and make connections with things that I already know. This helps further process the information I’m trying to remember and is also known as deep-processing.
-Angel Susantin
I actually learned about framing in AP Psychology. I also thought it was a pretty interesting topic myself because I myself have fallen victim to the effects of framing before. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten a question wrong because of the way that it was framed; I’d always second guess myself somehow. I’ve also heard about the experiment that you mentioned in your blog in my Psychology class. This experiment really stood out to me because I wondered what I would have said if I was in this experiment. What do you think you would have said in this experiment?
Honestly, the framing effect throws me off so much sometimes. I always do a double take when somebody asks a confusing question. Who knows, I could be responding incorrectly to your blog. It could also be more of a bias moment as well, asking others a question that you know how they will answer.
Your blog is really interesting to me as it has both the aspects of memory and language. I loved how you used examples and this entire idea is really amazing as to how answer depend on how the questions are framed. I also kind of think that it is biased because if the cars actually came together then it doesn’t show a collision which forces the reader to believe nothing abnormal happened. I also think this idea leads to conformity as it allows people to change their answer as well.
Sincerely,
Mrinmayee Sama
This is pretty interesting as different types of words exert a different meaning. Such as you described something as contact between cars then bumped is a more settled version as 'contacted' moreover implies a small touch while bumping and something that possibly scratches the other car while the stationary car or both cars would reflect off each other upon impact. This also happens in many tests where it is designed to trick the big brain, luring it into a trap, also a reason why I always fall for those diverting from the actual answer which I had thought of at first. This creates a 'catfish' effect to many people designed to test the capability of smartness a person has.
I remember reading about that experiment in psychology class! Also called the “wording effect”, the way we phrase or say things can change how people respond to the question. After learning about this effect, I tried to be careful about how I phrase my questions, so that it won’t come off as biased, offensive, etc. To answer your question, I use echoic memory to memorize, or saying things out loud in order to remember it. After I say something out loud, I become more consciously aware of what I’m saying and for some reason my brain retains the information better. If you want, I think you should definitely give echoic memory a shot and try to practice saying things out loud and see if it works!
Sincerely,
Faith Tong