Accuracy Of Eye Witness Testimony - Anxiety

Question 1

What is the research into negative effect of anxiety on EWT?

Answer 1

Johnson & Scott (1976)

Tricked participants into thinking they were going to be in lab study
While seated in waiting room participants heard argument in next room

In ‘low anxiety’ condition, man walked through waiting area covered in grease
In ‘high anxiety’ condition, breaking glass hear & man walked out of room with paper knife covered in blood

Participants later picked out man from 50 photos:
49% in ‘low anxiety’ accurate
33% in ‘high anxiety’

Question 2

What is the tunnel theory?

Answer 2

Eye witness’s narrows to focus on weapon as it’s source of anxiety

Question 3

What is the research into positive effect of anxiety on EWT?

Answer 3

Yuille & Cutshall (1986) - conducted study of real life shooting in gun shop in Canada - shop owner shot thief dead - 21 witnesses - 13 took part in study

Interviews held 4-5 months after shooting & compared with original police interviews
Accuracy determined by number of details reported in each account
Witnesses asked to rate how stressed they felt at time of incident, using 7-point scale & asked if they had any emotional problems since event, e.g. sleeplessness

Witnesses very accurate in accounts & little change in amount/accuracy in 5 months
Some details less accurate, e.g. age/weight/height
Participants who reported highest levels of stress most accurate (88% - 75%)

Question 4

How do we explain the contradictory findings in effects of anxiety on EWT?

Answer 4

Yerkes & Dodson (1908)
Inverted U relationship states:

Relationship states as anxiety increases, so does performance - up to certain point
After that, further increases in anxiety leads to fall off in performance

Question 5

Evaluate the effects of anxiety on eye witness testimony

Answer 5

Limitation - weapon focus may not be relevant
E.g. Johnson & Scott (1976) reason parties focused on knife may be surprise rather than anxiety
Pickel (1998) conducted experiment using scissors, handgun, wallet & raw chicken as hand-held items in hair salon - EWT significantly poorer in high unusualness conditions.
Ex. - suggest weapon focus effect due to unusualness rather than anxiety/threat, thus tells us nothing specifically about effects of anxiety on EWT

Limitation - field studies sometimes lack control
E.g. researchers usually interview real-life EWs sometime after event - all sorts of things happened to parti in meantime; post event discussions influenced by media & others about event
Ex. - These EVs may be responsible for accuracy of recall & effects of anxiety may be overwhelmed by other factors & impossible to assess by time parties interviewed

Limitation - ethical issues - creating anxiety in participants
E.g. - subject people to psychological harm purely for research. Real-life studies are important as they’ve already gone through it, so psychologists don’t have to create it
Explain - doesn’t challenge findings but questions need for research - one reason to compare findings with less controlled field studies, benefits may outweigh issues