Cited by 1,511Memory Processes and InfluencesDeception detection and forensic psychologyCognitive Functions and Memory

Semantic integration of verbal information into a visual memory

Loftus, Elizabeth F., Miller, David G., Burns, Helen J.·1978·Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory

Abstract

A total of 1,242 subjects, in five experiments plus a pilot study, saw a series of slides depicting a single auto-pedestrian accident. The purpose of these experiments was to investigate how information supplied after an event influences a witness's memory for that event. Subjects were exposed to either consistent, misleading, or irrelevant information after the accident event. Misleading information produced less accurate responding on both a yes-no and a two-alternative forced-choice recognition test. Further, misleading information had a larger impact if introduced just prior to a final test rather than immediately after the initial event. The effects of misleading information cannot be accounted for by a simple demand-characteristics explanation. Overall, the results suggest that information to which a witness is exposed after an event, whether that information is consistent or misleading, is integrated into the witness's memory of the event.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0278-7393.4.1.19

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  • Immediate tests following the presentation of inaccurate information are less likely to detect people's susceptibility to misinformation compared to longer time intervals.

    “Classical laboratory research on the lasting effect of misinformation in memory confirms that immediate tests following the presentation of inaccurate information are less likely to detect people’s susceptibility to misinformation compared to longer time intervals [20, 21].”

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Authors
Loftus, E. F., Miller, D. G., & Burns, H. J.
Affiliations
University of Washington (US)
Venue
Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory
Published
1978
Volume
4
Issue
1
Pages
19-31
ISSN
0096-1515 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2103430676
Cited by
1,511
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 59 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 95 · 2018: 34 · 2017: 48 · 2016: 43 · 2015: 64 · 2014: 40 · 2013: 68 · 2012: 38
FWCI
7.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Learning & Memory (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
eyewitness memory, misleading postevent information, post-event information, semantic integration, visual memory, recognition memory, demand characteristics, memory distortion
MeSH terms
Auditory Perception, Concept Formation, Humans, Memory, Memory Disorders, Mental Recall, Visual Perception

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