EWT: Anxiety - AO3

Question 1

What are strengths of EWT: anxiety?

Answer 1

• P: Strength = evidence supporting the view that anxiety has a negative effect on the accuracy of recall
• E: Valentine and Mesout (2009): Supports research on weapon focus, finding negative reffects on recall. Used heart rate to divide PPs into high and low anxiety groups
• E: Anxiety disrupted PPs ability to recall details about the actor in the London Dungeon;s labrynth
• L: Suggests high level anxiety has negative effect on the immediate eyewitness recall of a stressfull event
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• P: Strength = evidence supporting the view that anxiety has a positive effect on the accuracy of recall
• E: Christianson and Hubinette (1993): interviewed 58 witnesses to actual bank robberies in Sweden. Some were directly involved and some indirectly. Researchers believed those directly involved would be the most anxious
• E: Recall was more than 75% accurate across all witnesses. The direct victims (most anxious) were even more accurate
• L: Findings show anxiety does not reduce the accuracy of recall and may even enhance it

Question 2

What is a limitation of negative effects anxiety?

Answer 2

• P: Limitation = Johnson and Scott may not have tested anxiety
• E: PPs may have focused on the weapon due to being surprised rather than scared. Pickel (1998): Scissors, handgun, wallet and raw chicken in hairdressing salon video. (Scissors would be high anxiety/ low unsualness)
• E: Eyewitness accuracy was significantly poorer in high unsualness conditions (chicken and handgun)
• L: Suggests that weapon focus affect is due to unusualness rather than anxiety/threat therefore tells us nothing specifically about the effects of anxiety on EWT