anxiety

Question 1

what are the 6 AO1 points you must know for anxiety?

Answer 1

-Definition of Anxiety in EWT
-Negative Effect: Weapon Focus Effect
-Loftus et al. (1979) – Weapon Focus Study
-Positive Effect: Yuille & Cutshall (1986)
-Inverted-U Theory (Yerkes & Dodson, 1908)
-Criticism of Inverted-U

Question 2

What is anxiety in the context of eyewitness testimony?

Answer 2

Anxiety is a state of arousal involving tension and increased alertness. It can affect memory accuracy either positively or negatively.

Question 3

How can anxiety negatively affect recall?

Answer 3

Through the weapon focus effect — attention narrows to the weapon, meaning important details like faces are missed.

Question 4

What did Loftus et al. (1979) find?

Answer 4

Participants were less accurate in identifying a man holding a knife (33%) than one holding a pen (49%), showing anxiety reduces recall.

Question 5

How can anxiety improve EWT accuracy?

Answer 5

High arousal can enhance memory, especially in real-life, emotionally intense events, where attention is sharpened.

Question 6

What did Yuille & Cutshall (1986) find?

Answer 6

Witnesses to a real robbery gave highly accurate recall even after 5 months — those with higher anxiety levels were more accurate.

Question 7

What is the Inverted-U theory of anxiety and recall?

Answer 7

It suggests moderate anxiety improves recall, but too little or too much anxiety impairs it — though this theory is often seen as oversimplified.