Anxiety, Age and Misleading Questions on EWT Flashcards
Define weapon focus
concentration of witness’s attention on a weapon, reduces ability to remember other details of crime
What are the details and results of the Loftus 1979 study?
Volunteers invited to lab, in waiting room 2 conditions: hear argument or discussion in lab, man came out with knife or pen and made a comment, Pps shown 50 men asked to identify: 49% pen, 33% knife
What conclusions can be drawn from Loftus 1979?
Supports weapon focus effect, anxiety arrows focus of attention
What other 2 studies support the theory that weapon focus detracts from peripheral attention?
Loftus, Loftus and Messot 1987: series of slide, point gun or cheque at cashier, eye movement focus on weapon
Loftus and Burns 1982: violent/non violent film, less accurate info about crime in violent condition
What 2 methodological comments can be made about studies that support the weapon focus effect?
All reliable lab experiments, may lack ecological validity
Give 2 studies which disprove the weapon focus effect theory
Yuille and Cutshall 1986: interview 13Pps, real shootings, witness accurate accounts even after time, closest and most distressed gave most detail
Christianson and Hubinette 1993: 110 witness interview from 22 real robberies, accurate recall after 15 months
What are the details and results of the study by Flin 1992?
ages: 5/6,9/10,adult, all watched presentation, 9/10 and adults same recall after 1 day and 5 months, young children = 40% less recall at 5 months
Who conducted a study into children’s memory and source monitoring?
Poole and Lindsay 2001:
3-8yrs, science demonstration and parent reads science book, younger children unable to distinguish where info from
Who conducted research on the memory of the elderly?
Yarmey 1984:
80% elderly didn’t mention attacker had knife vs 20% younger adults Pps
Who conducted research into the effect of misleading information on the elderly?
Cohen and Faulkner 1989:
video of kidknapping then 2 different narratives (one incorrect), elderly more susceptible to affects of misleading info when recalling
What is retroactive interference?
after an event, new information merges with original information to create ‘new’ memory
What are schemas?
Retrieval affected by our associations/ what we expect, fill gaps in memory where details are hazy
Who conducted a study on whether memory could be distorted after exposed to misleading questions?
Loftus and Zanni 1975:
short film, control asked open question, others asked leading (did you see a/the broken headlight?) 17% vs 7% said saw headlight-wording significantly affected recall
What are 3 evaluation points about the Loftus and Zanni study?
Results may be due to demand characteristics, definite causal link, realistic material = more ecologically valid
Who conducted a study into memory distortion after misinformation?
Loftus 1975:
film, 10qs, control asked about true facts, eperimentals asked about incorrect facts, after 1 week asked if barn seen, 3% control, 17% exp. misleading info = effect
