1
Aim
To investigate the influence of schemas on speed estimation
2
Method
experiment with an independent measures design
3
Procedures
Participants were split into five groups and then shown a clip of a car crash
Participants were given a questionnaire with the question: "About how fast were they going when they ____ each other?"
- depending on the group, the verb smashes, collided, hit, bumped, or contacted was used in the question
4
Results
- average speed estimates varied significantly for the five groups
- gentler words resulted in lower speed estimates
5
Conclusion
The use of different verbs activated different schema in participants, supporting the existence of schema.