EWT: Anxiety - A01 Flashcards
What is the procedure of research into anxiety having a negative effect on recall?
Johnson and Scott (1976): PPs believed they were taking part of a lab study
* Low anxiety condition: PPs heard a casual conversation and then saw a man walk past them carrying a pen and grease on his hands
* High anxiety condition: PPs heard a heated argument and the sound of breaking glass, A man walked out of the room holding a knife covered blood
What are the findings of research into anxiety having a negative effect on recall?
The PPs later picked the man out of a set of 50 photos
* 49% of PPs in the low anxiety condition were able to identify the man
* 33% of PPs in the high anxiety condition were able to identify the man
What is the conclusion of research into anxiety having a negative effect on recall?
The tunnel theory of memory argues that people have enhanced memory for central events. Weapon focus as a result of anxiety can have this effect.
Why might anxiety have a positive effect on recall?
Witnessing a stressful effect creates anxiety through physiological arousal within the body. The flight or fight repsonse is triggered, increasing alertness. This may improve memory for the vent as we become more aware of cues in the situation
What is the procedure of research into anxiety having a positive effect on recall?
Yuille and Cutshall (1986): Conducted a study of an actual shooting in a gun shop
* 13 witnesses took part and they were interviewed 4-5 months after the incident took place
* These interviews were compared with the original police interviews at the time of shooting
* Witnesses were also asked to rate how stressed they were at the time and where they had any emotional problems after the incident
What is the findings of research into anxiety having a positive effect on recall?
Witnesses were accurate and there was little change in the amount recalled or accuracy after five months - some details were less than accurate such as colour of items
* PPs who reported highest level of stress were more accurate (88%) compared to 35%
* Suggests anxiety does not have a detrimental effect on the accuracy of eyewitness memory in a real world context and may even enhance it
What did Yerkes and Dodson find out?
The relationship vetween emotional arousal and performance looks like an inverted “U”
What did Deffenbacher (1983) do?
Reviewed 21 studies of EWT and used Yerkes-Dodson law to explain findings
Lower levels of anxiety/arousal = lower levels of recall accuracy
The memory becomes more accurate at anxiety/arousal increases.
However, there is an optimal level of anxiety where there will be optimal accuracy
If a person experiences any more arousal, then their recall suffers a drastic decline
