Factors affecting EWT:Anxiety

Question 1

what is the definition of anxiety

Answer 1

an unpleasant emotional state that often increases heart rate and caused rapid breathing

Question 2

what is weapon focus

Answer 2

the idea that a weapon causes anxiety and distracts attention away from other features and towards the thing causing the most anxiety

Question 3

how does anxiety have a negative effect on recall

Answer 3

anxiety creates physiological arousal in the body which prevents us from paying attention to important clues, making recall worse

Question 4

who studied anxiety has a negative effect on recall

Answer 4

Johnson and Scott

Question 5

what was the aim Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 5

to investigate effects of anxiety on EWT

Question 6

what was the procedure of Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 6

• ppts asked to sit in a waiting room where they heard an argument
• a man runs out with either a pen or a knife covered in blood
• they were asked to identify the man

Question 7

what were the findings of Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 7

• 49% identified the pen man

- 33% identified the knife man

Question 8

what was the conclusion of Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 8

anxiety can have a negative effect by drawing people to specific details of the crime and away from features of the criminal

Question 9

evaluate Johnson and Scott’s study

Answer 9

-unethical as ppts were not aware they were being studied for EWT

Question 10

how can anxiety have a positive effect on recall

Answer 10

the fight or flight response is triggered which increases alertness and improves our memory of the event because we are more aware of the cues in the situation

Question 11

who studied the positive effect of anxiety on recall

Answer 11

Yuille and Cutshall

Question 12

what was the aim of Yulle and Cutshalls study

Answer 12

investigate effects of anxiety on EWT

Question 13

what was the procedure of Yuille and Cutshalls study

Answer 13

• conducted a study of a real life shooting in a gun shop in canada we’re the shop keeper shot a thief dead
• there were 13 ppts
• police interviews straight after the incident were compared to the interviews held 4-5 months after
• accuracy was determined by the number of details reported
• witnesses were asked how stressed they had felt at the time and if they had emotional problems since the event

Question 14

what were the findings of Yuille and Cutshalls study

Answer 14

• witnesses were accurate and there was little change in amount of accuracy after 5 months
• ppts who reported higher levels of stess are more accurate(88% compared to 75% for the less stressed)

Question 15

evaluate Yuille and Cutshalls study

Answer 15

• low generalisability(13 ppts)

- unreliable(leading factors and time could affect answers later on)

Question 16

what were the contradictory findings of Yerkes and Dodson Law

Answer 16

• certain amount of anxiety can enhance performance but too much can impair it eg stage fright
• there is an optimal arousal point where recall is best

Question 17

evaluate anxiety on EWT

Answer 17

• field studies can lack control (extraneous variables may be responsible for recall)
• unethical was it created anxiety