Misinformation Effect

The misinformation effect occurs when an individual's recall of an event he or she has witnessed becomes altered by introducing misleading information into the scenario. One prominent experiment that represents misinformation in relation to reconstruction of automobile destruction was conducted by Elizabeth Loftus. Loftus showed footage of a car accident to participants. Later, some were asked the speed at which the car was going when it crashed into another car. Others were asked to give an estimate speed at which they personally thought the car smashed into the other car. Those who were asked the question with the word "smashed" in it remembered seeing broken glass, when in fact, there was no broken glass.