Evaluation of Stress and Arousal as a Factor Affecting EWT

Question 1

+ Clifford and Scott (stressful film)

Answer 1

Clifford and Scott found that people who saw a film of a violent attack remembered fewer of the 40 items of information about the event than a control group who saw a less stressful version (- however, lab experiment, so low ecological validity)

Question 2

• MacLeod (assaults with physical injury compared to no physical injusty)

Answer 2

MacLeod conducted a field study comparing 379 eyewitness reports to assaults with physical injury (high stress) to no physical injury (lower stress). There was no overall difference in the degree of accuracy (a field study, so ppts’ behaviour is realistic and the findings are therefore high in ecological validity)

Question 3

• Yuille et al. (Canadian gun shop shooting)

Answer 3

Yuille found that the greater reported level of arousal, the more accurate the testimony (+ real life shooting, so high ecological validity)