Factors affecting Eyewitness Testimony: Anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety?
A state of emotional and physical arousal—emotional (e.g. worried thoughts, tension) and physical (e.g. increased heart rate, sweating).
Why might anxiety affect eyewitness testimony (EWT)?
It can either improve or worsen memory due to its effects on attention, arousal, and perception during stressful events like crimes.
What does the ‘weapon focus effect’ suggest?
Anxiety from a weapon narrows attention to the weapon itself, reducing the ability to recall other details.
What was the procedure in Johnson and Scott’s (1976) study?
Participants overheard an argument. In the low-anxiety condition, a man walked out holding a pen; in the high-anxiety condition, he held a bloody knife.
What were the findings of Johnson and Scott’s study?
49% of low-anxiety participants identified the man correctly vs only 33% in the high-anxiety condition.
What does tunnel theory say about anxiety and recall?
Witnesses focus attention on central details (like a weapon) at the expense of peripheral ones.
What was the aim of Yuille and Cutshall’s (1986) study?
To investigate the accuracy of real-life EWT under anxiety.
Describe the procedure of Yuille and Cutshall’s study.
13 witnesses to a real shooting were interviewed 4-5 months after the event and their answers were compared to original police interviews.
What were the findings of Yuille and Cutshall’s study?
Witnesses were very accurate, with those reporting the highest stress being most accurate (88% vs 75%).
How does this study contradict Johnson and Scott’s findings?
It shows that high anxiety can enhance recall in real-life settings rather than impair it.
How did Deffenbacher (1983) apply the Yerkes Dodson law to EWT?
He proposed that low and very high anxiety both lead to poorer recall, with moderate anxiety being optimal for accuracy.
What is the Yerkes-Dodson Law (1908)?
The relationship between arousal and performance follows an inverted U-shape—moderate anxiety improves recall, but too much reduces it.
What did Parker et al. (2006) find about anxiety and memory?
Those whose homes were more damaged by Hurricane Andrew (i.e. more anxiety) had more accurate recall—supporting the inverted-U.
Why might weapon focus not be due to anxiety?
Pickel (1998) found that unusualness, not just threat, reduces recall. E.g., accuracy was worse when a chicken or handgun was shown in a salon video.
Why is lack of control a problem in field studies?
Many extraneous variables (e.g. media exposure, conversations) may distort recall before participants are tested.
What ethical issues are linked to anxiety studies?
Intentionally causing anxiety may cause psychological harm, making such studies ethically questionable.
What is a benefit of real-life studies over lab ones?
They use natural anxiety, avoiding ethical issues, and often have higher ecological validity.
Why is the inverted-U theory considered too simplistic?
It only focuses on physiological arousal, ignoring the cognitive, emotional, and behavioural elements of anxiety.
How can demand characteristics affect lab studies of anxiety?
Participants may guess the aim and change their behaviour, e.g. trying to remember more or focusing on expected details, reducing validity.
