factors effecting eyewitness testimony - anxiety

Question 1

what is anxiety?

Answer 1

• mind and bodys reaction
• stressful dangerous or unfamilar situations
  -sense of uneasinesss distress or dread

Question 2

negative effects of anxiety

Answer 2

• prevents us paying attention to cues
• it has a negative effect on recall

Question 3

johnsons and scott 1976

Answer 3

studied the weapons focus effect

• particpiants were in a waiting room and arguement happened in the room next door
• “low anxiety” condition saw a man walk through with a pen and greasy hands
• “high anxiety” condition heard breaking glass and a man walks through with a knife covered in blood

Question 4

results from johnsons and scott 1976

Answer 4

49% of low anxiety condition correctly identified the man 33% of high anxiety condition correctly identified the man

Question 5

yuille and cutshall 1986 field experiment

Answer 5

• shop owner shoots a thief and kills him
• 13/21 witnesses agreed to take part in the study
• interviewed 4-5 months after actual event

results:
- not much change in accuracy about colours/height/weight/age.
- those who recorded higehr stress levels on a 7 point scale were 88% accuate to thsoe who recorded lower stress levels werre 75% accurate

Question 6

yerek dodson law 1908 (inverted u)

Answer 6

• deffenbacker 1983 applied it to EWT
• too little anxiety and recall is low
• too much anxiety and recall declines again

Question 7

positive effects of anxiety?

Answer 7

• triggers flight or fight
  -increase alertness
  -improves memory

Question 8

limiation:
pickel 1998

Answer 8

• conducted a study in a salon in which a person walked in with different objects: scissors, a handgun, a wallet and a raw chicken then started an arguemnet
• results: the raw chicken caused recall scores lower
• testing surprise rather than anxiety

Question 9

limitations of yerkes dodsons law

Answer 9

• anxiety is diffuclt to define
• cant be measured accurately
• anxiety involves cognitive behavioural physical and emotional processes

Question 10

the weapons effect study
(scholar & date)

Answer 10

johnsons and scott
1976

Question 11

results of johnsons and scotts study

Answer 11

49% of low anxiety correctly identified the man 33% of high anxiety correctly identified the man

Question 12

shop owner shoots theif field study
(scholar & date)

Answer 12

yuille and cutshall
1986

Question 13

who applied the inverted U to EWT
(scholar & date)

Answer 13

deffenbacker
1983

Question 14

limitation
salon study
(scholar & date)

Answer 14

pickel
1998

Question 15

results from yuille and cutshall study

Answer 15

• not much change in detail about weight/colour/age/height
• higher stress levels were 88% accurate
• lower stress levels 75% accuarte