Memory is involved in all aspects of our lives and can be thought of as, retain information. We have vast amounts of knowledge stored in our memory system, which we are able to access quickly and effortlessly, thus implying that stored knowledge must be highly organised to allow us to retrieve the appropriate information for a given situation. This organisation will be determined by the way that information is encoded into memory, and the way knowledge is organised will determine the type of process required to access that information on a future occasion.
Loftus and palmer research into memory has extensively helped out understanding of eyewitness testimony. Loftus and Palmer investigated the accuracy of speed estimates and the perceived consequences of a car crash after subjects had been asked leading questions. They found that when the verb ‘smashed’ was used to describe the accident mean estimated speed was 40.8 miles per hour. When the word ‘contacted’ was used in the question the speed estimates were only 31.8 mph. This clearly showed that our memory of an event could be changed by the context that it is recalled in. This suggests that memories are not fixed but are or can be changed by external influences (such as questions). Loftus and palmer also found that by using the verb ‘smashed’ subjects were also more likely to recall seeing broken glass at the scene of an accident when in actual fact there was none. This shows that leading questions can again influence the content of memory. Thus memories are not fixed but can be changed by external influences.