EWT - Anxiety Flashcards
What could cause extreme anxiety and lead to poor memory from a witness?
Presence of a weapon
At what point on the ‘inverted u’ / Yerkes Dodson law if the optimum level of anxiety?
Somewhere around the middle
Why does the case of Eileen support the idea that too much anxiety causes poor memory?
Eileen is evidence that when faced with a traumatic event, we repress it and forget. She witnessed her father murder her best friend when they were little but had no recollection of it until adulthood.
Why should we beware of individual differences when making assumptions about anxiety and memory?
Everyone is affected by anxiety differently. Some are more anxious than others; some have different responses to anxiety. We cannot assume that anxiety leads to poor recall in everyone.
What is the Weapon focus Effect?
When witnesses are distracted by and anxious about the presence of a weapon. This causes them to be poor eye witnesses.
After a hurricane it was found that those who were affected a little and a lot were the ones who remembered less. Why does this study have good ecological
Validity?
The study provides support the role of anxiety and is high in realism - it was a real hurricane with real victims!
What did research by Loftus find about the role of anxiety in EWT?
They found that high anxiety and presence of a weapon led to poor accuracy in recall.
What happened in Loftus greasy pen study?
Participants overheard an argueme t in the next room. In one condition a man ran out holding a bloody knife. In another condition a man ran out holding a greasy pen. Participants were asked to identify the man at a later date.
Some challenge the greasy pen study for being unethical. Explain why?
Deception - real aim was hidden AND they used confederates
Participants may have felt distressed during the study so were not protected from harm.
The Case of Eileen used the case study research method. Identify advantages of this method.
Rich in detail
Ethical
High ecological validity
Donna was not paying attention when someone ran into her office and stole her friends purse. Although was in the room she couldn’t provide any useful evidence to the police. Why?
Since she wasn’t paying attention she didn’t experience much anxiety. As a result her recall will be poor.
