Factors Affecting Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimonies: Anxiety Flashcards
1
Q
what is anxiety?
A
- creates physiological arousal
2
Q
who were the researchers involved in anxiety having a negative effect on recall?
A
Johnson and Scott
3
Q
what did Johnson and Scott do?
A
- believed lab study
- sat in waiting room
- low anxiety = heard a casual conversation in the next room the saw a man walk past them carrying a pen with grease on his hands
- high anxiety = heated argument with sound of breaking glass, man walked out room, holding a knife covered in blood
4
Q
what were the findings of Johnson and Scott’s research?
A
- ppts asked to pick out man from 50 photos
- 49% identified man with pen and grease
- 33% identified man with blood covered knife
- due to tunnel theory of memory - people have enhanced memory for central events, weapon focus
5
Q
who were the researchers involved in anxiety having a positive effect on recall?
A
Yuille and Cutshall
6
Q
what did Yuille and Cutshall do?
A
- conducted a study on actual shooting in gun shop Vancouver, Cananda, shop owner shot thief dead
- 21 witnesses, 13 took part in study
- interviewed 4-5 months after incident and these interviews were compared to original police interviews
- accuracy was determined by number of details reported in each account
- witnesses were asked to rate how stressed they felt at time of incident and whether they had emotional problems since then
7
Q
what were in the findings of Yuille and Cutshall research?
A
- witnesses were very accurate in their accounts and there was little change in the amount recalled after 5 months
- some details were less accurate (e.g. recollection of age, height or colours of items)
- ppts who reported high levels of stress were most accurate (88% to 75% of less stressed group)
- shows anxiety may enhance accuracy of EWT in real-world context
8
Q
what is the curve called and what is the shape?
A
- Yerkes-Dodson Law
- inverted U
9
Q
what are the evaluations of the EWT on anxiety?
A
+ evidence showing anxiety has positive effect on accuracy of recall (Mesout and Valentine)
+ evidence showing anxiety has negative effect on accuracy of recall(Christianson and Hubinette)
- Johnson and Scott may not have tested anxiety
10
Q
what did Deffenbacher do?
A
- reviewed 21 studies and noted contradictory findings of effect of anxiety
- used Yerkes-Dodson curve to explain
- when we witness crime we are emotionally and physiologically aroused
- ## so we experience anxiety as well as physiological changes
