Key study: Yuille & Cutshall (1986)

In Yuille & Cutshall (1986), what was the primary aim of the study?

• To test whether leading questions influence eyewitness memory in a real crime context

• To measure general intelligence of eyewitnesses using standardized tests

• To compare memory for a scripted film versus a live theater performance

• To evaluate the effectiveness of police interrogation techniques

Where did the real crime incident studied by Yuille & Cutshall (1986) take place?

• In a Vancouver gun shop and its exterior

• Inside a Toronto bank

• On a highway outside Montreal

• In a Vancouver courthouse

Which detail about the incident is correct according to the passage?

• A thief tied up the owner and was later shot by the owner after a pursuit

• The thief escaped without gunfire and no police were called

• Eyewitnesses watched a staged simulation filmed for research

• Only two witnesses were available for interviews

How long after the event did researchers conduct interviews with eyewitnesses?

• Four months after the event

• One week after the event

• Immediately the day after the event

• One year after the event

What misleading detail was embedded in one of the leading questions asked to witnesses?

• A broken headlight on the getaway car that did not exist

• A blue panel on the car that was actually yellow

• A second gunman on the roof

• An injured bystander inside the shop

How were the leading questions varied across groups in the study design?

• Half were asked about "a" broken headlight; half about "the" broken headlight; similar variation applied to the color panel question

• All participants received identical neutral questions without definite or indefinite articles

• One group saw photographs while the other read police reports

• Questions differed only in the order, not in wording

What reason does the passage give for high ecological validity in this study compared to Loftus and Palmer?

• Participants were interviewed in their homes

• The memory was formed during an emotionally charged, naturally occurring event

• The study used a large nationally representative sample

• The researchers avoided any manipulation of variables

The text notes a potential contradiction with Loftus & Palmer (1974). Which statement best captures this tension?

• The current findings exactly replicate Loftus & Palmer’s results.

• The reported accuracy rates appear to contradict Loftus & Palmer’s study, but the passage questions whether they truly do.

• The passage rejects Loftus & Palmer’s methodology entirely.

• Loftus & Palmer found no effect of leading questions, which matches the current study.

What proportion of the 13 participants are described as having reconstructive memories, and how is it calculated?

• 2/13, which is 15%.

• 3/13, which is 23%.

• 4/13, which is 31%.

• 5/13, which is 38%.

What potential explanation does the passage provide for the matching of witnesses’ stories to police reports?

• It may be support for flashbulb memory.

• It proves that eyewitnesses are always accurate.

• It indicates that police reports are unreliable.

• It shows that memory cannot be influenced by questioning.