Edexcel A-Level Psychology A2 6.2.1 Loftus and Palmer 1974 Eyewitness Memory Topic Practice

AO1 (4 marks), AO3 (4 marks)
AO1
- 45 participants in the study were shown films clips on video, each
involving a traffic accident.
- The participants had a questionnaire to complete at the end of each
film they watched.
- Leading questions elicited higher speed estimates, 'smashed' resulted
in 40.5mph compared to 'hit' which was 34.0mph.
AO3
- Using a large sample of participants gives the findings strong
generalisability to the likely recall of witnesses in real life, so can be
applied to actual eyewitness memory.
- Demand characteristics from repeating the task may mean
participants guessed the aim, so it is an unreliable test of eyewitness
memory in real-life where a crime would be seen once.
- Eyewitnesses to crimes are not usually questioned using a pre-
prepared questionnaires, therefore this lacks task validity so their
results may not apply to real life crime.
- The results indicate leading questions can alter recall which should be
applied to interviewing eyewitnesses to ensure accuracy.
Look for other reasonable marking points.

(8)

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\hline Level

Mark

Descriptor

AO1 (4 marks), AO3 (4 marks)
Candidates must demonstrate an equal emphasis between knowledge and
understanding vs assessment/conclusion in their answer.

0

No rewardable material.

Level 1

1-2
Marks

Demonstrates isolated elements of knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Generic assertions may be presented. Limited attempt to address the
question. (AO3)

Level 2

3-4
Marks

Demonstrates mostly accurate knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Candidates will produce statements with some development in the form of
mostly accurate and relevant factual material, leading to a generic or
superficial assessment being presented. (AO3)

Level 3

5-6
Marks

Demonstrates accurate knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Arguments developed using mostly coherent chains of reasoning. leading to
an assessment being presented which considers a range of factors.
Candidates will demonstrate understanding of competing arguments/factors
but unlikely to grasp their significance. The assessment leads to a
judgement but this may be imbalanced. (AO3)

Level 4

7-8
Marks

Demonstrates accurate and thorough knowledge and understanding. (AO1)
Displays a well-developed and logical assessment, containing logical chains
of reasoning throughout. Demonstrates an awareness of the significance of
competing arguments/factors leading to a balanced judgement being
presented. (AO3)

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