Two experiments investigated the effect of manipulating the implied speed of an individual's actions on estimation of event duration. Experiment 1 requested duration estimates from eyewitnesses to a staged event. Three groups of subjects participated, and each was provided with different postevent information, which vaned the implied speed of the individual that acted out the event. Results indicated that subjects who were led to believe the actor engaged in fast actions (e.g. running) generated significantly shorter duration estimates than those led to believe the speed of the actor was slow (e.g. the actor walked). Experiment 2 manipulated implied action speed by varying the commands given by a robber during a bank robbery. The marked sound track contained phrases such as 'hurry up', 'come on', 'now!', which imply that the bank tellers, to whom the commands were directed, had a slow action speed. The unmarked sound track contained the same number of words as the marked tape, but they did not emphasize action speed. Both versions of the video had the same actual duration. Results indicated that subjects shown the marked video gave significantly longer duration estimates, than those shown the unmarked video. The results are discussed in terms of the reconstruction of event duration, and implications for assessing the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
This study examined the effect that manipulating implied action speed may have on estimates of event duration. It is generally recognized that there is a relationship between speed and time (duration). For example, a robber fleeing a crime and running towards, and past you, will be in view for less time than if he walks towards, and past you. Therefore a witness's categorization of the speed of a criminal's behaviour (walking, running, etc.) may have an influence on the estimated duration of exposure to the behaviour. The obvious prediction is that the faster the action speed the shorter the estimated exposure duration. Of course, this prediction is based on the assumption that the retrieval of speed and duration information are both subject to reconstructive processes.
The classic work of Loftus and Palmer (1 974) provides support for the suggestion that the estimation of speed is subject to reconstructive processes. Subjects watched a film showing an automobile accident, and were then asked 'How fast were the cars going when they [ ] into each other?'. The question contained one of the following verbs: collided, bumped, contacted, hit, or smashed. The use of the verb 'smashed' resulted in higher estimates of automobile speed. The researchers