Participants viewed a series of slides depicting an automobile accident. Immediately afterward, half of the participants were asked, "How fast were the cars going when they hit each other?" Other participants were asked, "How fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" One week later, all participants were asked more questions about the slides, including whether they had seen any broken glass in the slides. A comparison of the two groups of participants is likely to show that:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is a classic example of the misinformation effect. By using the word "smashed," participants in that group were more likely to make higher estimates of speed and also more likely to remember seeing broken glass, even though it was not actually present in the slides. This shows that small differences in questioning can have a significant impact on participants' memories.

Participants Viewed a Series of Slides Depicting an Automobile Accident