EWT

Question 1

3 Stages Of EWT

Answer 1

1: Encode details of event in LTM
2: Witness retain info for long period
- memorises can be lost/ modified
- interference with memories
3: Retrieves memory from storage

Question 2

Loftus And Palmer - leading questions

Answer 2

Aim: leading questions would distort accuracy of recall

Procedure: 45 students, shown 7 traffic accidents
1 question: ‘smashed’, ‘bumped’,‘collided’,‘contacted’

Findings: 41mph - smashed, 32mph - contacted

Conclusion: questions can affect accuracy of memory

Question 3

Loftus And Palmer - Post event info

Answer 3

Aim: Test post event information
Procedure: 3 groups
1: Smashed
2: Hit
3: No verb
Did you see broken glass? (no broken glass)
Findings:
‘smashed’ group 15% saw broken glass
control group: 5%
Conclusion: shows significant effect of post event

Question 4

Is EWT unreliable?

Answer 4

Yuille and Cutshall: interviewed 13 people
> included 2 misleading questions
- witnesses provided accurate recall
Suggests: post event information may not affect memory in real life – EWT unreliable

Question 5

Loftus - Weapons Effect

Answer 5

Procedure: man came out room
Condition 1: with pen + grease on hands
Condition 2: knife covered in blood
- Recall man from 50 photos
Findings:
Condition 1: 49% accurate
Condition 2: 33% accurate
Conclusion: When anxious + aroused witness focuses on weapon

Question 6

Weapon effect - evaluation

Answer 6

High ecological validity, participants didn’t know it was staged
Ethical issues: participants stressed at knife

Question 7

Deffenbacher et al - Anxiety

Answer 7

Meta analysis from 18 studies
Found: high levels of anxiety/stress negatively impact accuracy of eyewitness memory
> Emotional arousal enhances accuracy of memory

Question 8

Weapon Focus may not be caused by anxiety

Answer 8

E: Pickel: Thief is enters with:
Scissors/wallet (low surprise)
Handgun/chicken (high surprise)

> Identification least accurate in high surprise conditions not high threat

E: Weapob focus related to surprise rather than anxiety

Question 9

Real life studies vs lab studies

Answer 9

E: Lab studies do not create real levels of anxiety during crime
> Deffenbacher agrees: real life studies associated with greater loss in accuracy
E: Low ecological validity

Question 10

No simple conclusion

Answer 10

Halford + Milne: violent crimes, victims, more accurate in recall than nonviolent crimes
E: no simple rule about the effect of anxiety on EWT