Factors Effecting EWT Flashcards
What were the procedures for Loftus and Palmer
45 participants watched a video of a car crash
They were handed a question, how fast were the cars going when they X
X was a critical verb ranging in intensity from contacted to smashed depending on the group
Loftus and palmer results
Contacted: 31.8mph
Smashed: 40.8mph
What are the explanations for why EWT changes depending on leading questions
Substitution: their memory actually changes and therefore they recall it looking faster or slower
Response bias: just guess higher because the verb suggests so
What were the procedures for Gabbert et al
Participants were studied in pairs
One participant would observe a crime from one angle and the other would observe from another angle
Eg. Only on participant could see the title of the book the woman had
They were then allowed time to discuss what they had seen before doing a recall test
What were the results of Gabbert et al
71% of participants mistakenly recalled details that they hadn’t seen.
In the control group this was 0%
What were the procedures for Johnson and Scott
Participants deceived into believing they’re waiting for a lab experiment
2 conditions:
High anxiety
Hear an argument and watch a man march out of the office, holding a pen with his hand soaked in grease
Low anxiety
Hear a loud argument with the sound of glass shattering and loud banging and witness a man walking away from the office holding a paper knife drenched in blood.
They would then be asked to choose the correct picture of the man out of 50 pictures
What were the results for Johnson and Scott
Accuracy of recall in high anxiety: 33%
Accuracy of recall in low anxiety: 49%
What were the procedures of Yuille and Cutshall
13 witnesses of a real shooting took part
They were interviewed four to five months after the shooting
They rated their anxiety at the time on a seven point scale
They then gave accounts of their testimony
What were the findings for Yuille and Cutshall
Those who reported high stress’ accuracy: 88%
Those who reported low stress’ accuracy: 75%
What does the Yerkes Dodson Law say (three things)
Low levels of arousal result in poor accuracy
High levels of arousal result in good accuracy
There is an optimal level of anxiety for the best accuracy of recall
