In a classic study by Loftus and Palmer, participants watched a film of a car accident and then answered questions. Researchers varied a single verb in one critical question: "About how fast were the cars going when they ___ each other?" with the verb being "smashed," "collided," "bumped," "hit," or "contacted." Participants who heard "smashed" estimated significantly higher speeds, and one week later were more likely to falsely report having seen broken glass.
Loftus's research most directly challenges which view of memory?
- Acheck_circle
The view that memory works like a video recorder, faithfully storing events
- B
The view that emotional events can be remembered
- C
The view that the hippocampus is involved in memory consolidation
- D
The view that rehearsal can strengthen memory
Explanation
Loftus's reconstructive memory research shows that memory is rebuilt at retrieval and is vulnerable to distortion, contradicting the videotape metaphor of memory. It does not refute the role of the hippocampus or rehearsal.