anxiety Flashcards
What happens to attention when anxiety is high?
Attention narrows, causing key details to be missed.
What is the weapon focus effect?
A witness focuses on a weapon, reducing their ability to remember other details of the crime.
What was the aim of Johnson and Scott’s study?
To investigate the effect of anxiety on eyewitness recall.
What were the two conditions in Johnson and Scott’s study?
1) Low anxiety: A man with grease on his hands holding a pen. 2) High anxiety: A man with a bloody knife after a heated argument.
What were the findings of Johnson and Scott’s study?
49% recalled the man in the low-anxiety condition, compared to 33% in the high-anxiety condition.
How can anxiety have a positive effect on memory?
The fight-or-flight response increases alertness, leading to stronger memory encoding.
What did Yuille & Cutshall (1986) study?
Eyewitnesses of a real-life shooting in a Vancouver gun shop.
What were the findings of Yuille & Cutshall’s study?
Those most distressed at the time gave the most accurate accounts 5 months later (93% accuracy vs. 75%).
What did Christianson & Hubinette (1993) study?
The accuracy of eyewitnesses in 22 real bank robberies.
What did Christianson & Hubinette find?
High arousal had no negative impact; witnesses accurately recalled details 4-15 months later.
What is one strength of real-life studies on anxiety and EWT?
They have high ecological validity because participants experience real anxiety.
What is one weakness of real-life studies on anxiety and EWT?
Lack of control over extraneous variables like post-event discussion and media influence.
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
It suggests that memory accuracy depends on the level of stress, following an inverted U-shaped curve.
How does the Yerkes-Dodson Law explain anxiety’s effects on EWT?
Moderate stress enhances recall, but too much or too little stress reduces accuracy.
What research supports the Yerkes-Dodson Law?
Christianson & Hubinette (1993) found moderate anxiety improved memory, while Johnson & Scott (1976) found high anxiety impaired recall.
Why might proximity to a crime affect memory accuracy?
Being closer allows a witness to see more details, which may influence recall accuracy.
Why is it difficult to establish cause and effect in real-life anxiety studies?
Extraneous variables like media influence and post-event discussion may affect recall.
