Accuracy Of EWT: Anxiety

Question 1

Who studied the effects of anxiety on ewt

Answer 1

Johnson and Scott (1976)

Question 2

What was the aim of Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 2

to see if anxiety affects the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

Question 3

What happened when the ppts were waiting for the study

Answer 3

whilst waiting in outside the lab they heard an argument in the room next door.

Question 4

What was the high anxiety condition of the study

Answer 4

participants overheard argument and sound of breaking glass /crashing chairs then individual (the target) run into reception area holding a bloody letter opener

Question 5

What was the low anxiety condition of the study

Answer 5

participants overheard a conversation in lab about equipment failure and then an individual (the target) left the lab and walked past the participant holding a pen and hands covered in grease

Question 6

What happened after both conditions of the study

Answer 6

shown 50 photos asked to identify the person leaving the lab in no weapon correctly identified target 49% of the time in weapon only 33%

Question 7

What was the conclusion of the study

Answer 7

Anxiety causes a decrease in accuracy of eyewitness testimony although some research has shown anxiety may have a positive effect on eyewitness testimony.

Question 8

Evaluation for anxiety effecting EWT

Answer 8

1. Deffenbacher (1983)
2. Yerkes-Dobson model
3. Unethical
4. Lab

Question 9

Evaluation: Christianson and hubinette (1993)

Answer 9

There is an alternative argument that says high anxiety/arousal creates more enduring and accurate memories.
Christianson and Hubinette (1993) found evidence of enhanced recall when they questioned 58 real witnesses to bank robberies in Sweden. The witnesses were either victims (bank teller) or bystanders (employee or customer), i.e. high and low anxiety respectively. The interviews were conducted 4-15 months after the robberies.
The researchers found that all witnesses showed generally good memories for details of the robbery itself (better than 75% accurate recall). Those witnesses who were most anxious (the victims) had the best recall of all. This study generally shows that anxiety does not reduce accuracy of recall.

Question 10

Evaluation: yerkes-Dobson model

Question 11

Evaluation: unethical

Answer 11

~ Another limitation is that lab experiments testing anxiety may be unethical.
~ Creating anxiety in participants is potentially unethical because it may subject people to psychological harm purely for research purposes.
~ So real-life studies are beneficial: psychologists interview people who have already witnessed an event, so there is no need to create it.
~ As a result, perhaps it is better to use real witnesses to study the effects of anxiety on the accuracy of EWT.