Accuracy of eyewitness testimony: anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety?
An unpleasant state that is often accompanied by increased heart rate and rapid breathing i.e. physiological arousal
Who came up with the idea of the weapon focus effect?
Johnson & Scott (1976)
What is the weapon of focus effect?
The idea that a weapon in a criminals hand distracts attention (due to anxiety) from other features and therefore reduces the accuracy of identification
How did Johnson and Scott test the idea of the weapon focus effect?
Asked participants to sit in a waiting room - heard an argument in an adjoining room - then saw a man run through carrying either a pen covered in grease or a bloody knife - participants later asked to identify the man
What was the mean accuracy for identifying the man in the pen condition vs the knife condition?
49% vs 33%
How did Loftus et al show anxiety foes focus attention on central feature i.e. weapon?
Observed participants eye movements and found they were drawn towards the weapon + away from other things e.g. the persons face
What evidence is there that evolutionarily anxiety actually positively impacts accuracy?
Evolutionary argument: it would be adaptive to remember events that are emotionally important in order to identify situations in future + how to respond
How did CHRISTIANSON and HUBINETTE demonstrate that anxiety does not reduce accuracy?
Interviewed 58 real witnesses to bank robbery in Sweden 4-15 months after incident - all witnesses showed generally good memories for details (75% accurate recall) - those who were most anxious had the best recall
In Christianson’s review of his research what did he conclude?
Memory for negative emotional events is better than for neutral events
Who came up for the resolution for the contradiction?
Deffenbacher (1983)
What is the resolution to the contradiction between anxiety improving or worsening accuracy?
Yerkes-Dodson effect - if anxiety is only moderate, eyewitness accuracy would be enhanced - if anxiety is too extreme, then accuracy will be reduced
Why may the weapon focus effect not actually be cause by anxiety?
Pickel - surprise rather than anxiety
Test: participants watched a thief enter salon carrying scissors (high threat, low surprise), handgun (high surprise, high threat) or a raw chicken (low threat, high surprise) —– identification was least accurate in the high surprise conditions rather than the high threat
Who proposed the catastrophe theory? and what does it suggest? is it better than the Yerkes-Dodson theory?
Fazey and Hardy
When physiological arousal increases beyond the optimum level, point out cognitive and somatic (physical) anxiety
High anxiety can lead to sudden memory failure (catastrophe), not just gradual decline
How may individual differences impact anxiety and EWT?
Bothwell et al - participants tested for personality characteristics - labelled as neurotic and stable - neurotics accuracy decreased as their stress increased
