EWT

Question 1

What is the definition of EWT?

Answer 1

The evidence provided by a person who witnessed a crime, with a view identifying the perpetrator

Question 2

What are the two types of Misleading information?

Answer 2

• Leading question: The way a question is phrased may mislead a eyewitness to change their testimony (Loftus and Palmer - Car crash speed estimate)
• Post event discussion: When discussing with another witnesses, their testimony may distort your answer (Gabbert et al - Crime filmed from different POV)

Question 3

What are the strengths and limits of EWT: Misleading information?

Answer 3

Strengths:
- Real world application (questions must be asked more carefully in interrogations)
- Supporting research (Gabbert et al)
Limits:
- Low ecological validity
- Demand characteristics (Lab setting)

Question 4

What are the positive effects of Anxiety on EWT?

Answer 4

Positive effects:
- Witnessing a stressful event causes a fight or flight response, this increases alertness and may improve memory.
- Yuille and Cutshall (1986) conducted a study based on a real shooting. There were 13 ppts that witnessed it and interviewed the ppts. They found that the witnesses were very accurate especially the ones with the highest level of anxiety.

Question 5

What are the negative effects of Anxiety on EWT?

Answer 5

Negative effects:
- Anxiety causes physiological arousal in the body which prevents us to pay attention to important cues, making recall worse
- Johnson and Scott (1976) investigated this by putting ppts in a room while in one condition they heard a casual conversation, after they see a man walking from the room with a pen and greasy hand. In condition 2, the ppts heard a violent conversation next door and then a man walked out with a knife in hand, covered in blood.
- The ppts who were able to identify the man from 50 photos in condition 1 was 49% and in condition 2, it was 33%. This means the higher the anxiety level the worse the ability to remember

Question 6

What are the strengths and limits of EWT: Anxiety?

Answer 6

Strengths:
- Research on positive and negative effects of Anxiety on memory (Johnson and Scott)
Limits:
- J&S study may not have tested anxiety but unusualness (ppts focused on the weapon because they were shocked not scared)