Eyewitness Testimony (Anxiety) Flashcards
What is anxiety?
A state of emotional and physical arousal that may result in worried thoughts and feelings of tension.
What is the weapon-focus effect?
The idea that the presence of a weapon increases anxiety, making the eyewitness focus on central details resulting and struggling to recall certain details (the offenders face), reducing EWT accuracy.
Who conducted research on the effects of anxiety?
Johnson and Scott (1976).
What did Johnson and Scott aim to study?
The effects of anxiety caused by the weapon-focus effect on the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
What type of experiment did Johnson and Scott conduct?
A laboratory experiment.
How many conditions were the participants split into?
Two.
What occurred in both conditions?
The participants could hear a heated discussion in a neighbouring room while waiting outside a room before the study began.
What happened in condition one?
A man came out of the neighbouring room holding a pen and with grease on his hands.
What happened in condition two?
A man came out of the neighbouring room holding a paperknife covered in blood.
After seeing the man what were the participants asked to do?
Identify the man who emerged from 50 photographs.
What was the accuracy of identification in condition one?
49%.
What was the accuracy of identification in condition two?
33%.
What did Gabbert et al conclude?
That anxiety caused by the weapon narrowed the focus of attention, making an individual’s recall less detailed and accurate; this may explain why some people have poor recall of certain violent crimes.
What are the 5 evaluation points of Gabbert et al’s study?
\+ High degree of control. - Ethical issues. \+ Loftus et al (1987). - Christianson and Hubinette (1993). \+ Yerkes-Dodson Law.
