Two groups of people watched a videotape of an automobile accident. One group was asked the question "Did you see the children getting off the school bus?" even though there was no school bus in the video. A week later, both groups were asked, "Did you see a school bus in the film?" What happened?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This phenomenon is known as "false memory" or "suggestibility effect." The first question implanted a false memory in the participants' minds, making them more likely to remember seeing a school bus in the video, even though there was none. Therefore, participants who heard the first question were more likely to say "yes" to the second question than those who did not hear the first question. This effect has been shown in numerous studies and has important implications for eyewitness testimony reliability in legal cases.

Two Groups of People Watched a Videotape of an Automobile