Curly and Moe are questioned by the police about a car accident they witnessed just a couple of hours ago.Curly is asked how fast the Ford was going when it smashed into the stop sign.Moe is asked how fast the Ford was going when it hit the sign.All else being equal,Moe will most likely remember that the Ford was going ____.
A) the same speed that Curly remembered
B) slower than the speed Curly remembered
C) faster than the speed Curly remembered
D) over the speed limit

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of the misinformation effect. Since Moe was asked how fast the Ford was going when it "hit" the sign, the word "hit" may have suggested to Moe that the car was going slower than it actually was. On the other hand, Curly was asked how fast the Ford was going when it "smashed into" the sign, which may have suggested a higher speed to him. Therefore, it is likely that Moe will remember the speed as being slower than what Curly remembered.

Curly and Moe Are Questioned by the Police About a Car