The Effects of the Words Smashed and Hit on the Memory of Witnesses

The researchers showed their volunteers short films of car accidents. Then they asked the volunteers some questions about what they had just seen. The people who heard the word smashed or collided recalled that the cars were going faster than those who heard the words 'bumped' And then there was something else, the volunteers were asked whether there was broken glass at the scene of the accident. Volunteers were much more likely to remember seeing broken glass if the words smashed or hit had been used. So this has really important implications for criminal justice and how we question witnesses.