Is Affecting Accuracy Of Eye Witness Testimony→anxiety Flashcards
What is anxiety?
A mental state of arousal that includes feelings of extreme concern and tension, along with psychological changes (e.g., increased heart rate).
What was the aim of the Johnson and Scott study?
To investigate if anxiety affects the accuracy of eyewitness testimony (EWT).
What were the two conditions in the Johnson and Scott study?
- Participants heard an amicable discussion, and a man with greasy hands and a pen walked out.
- Participants heard a hostile conversation, and a man with a bloody knife walked out.
What were the findings of the Johnson and Scott study?
Identification accuracy for the man with the pen: 49%.
Identification accuracy for the man with the knife: 33%.
What is the conclusion of the Johnson and Scott study?
Anxiety caused by the knife reduced focus on the man’s face, demonstrating the weapon focus effect and reduced recall accuracy.
What was the aim of the Christian and Hubinette study?
To investigate if anxiety affects the accuracy of EWT during real-life events.
What type of experiment did Christian and Hubinette conduct?
A natural experiment where participants were witnesses of a genuine bank robbery.
What were the findings of the Christian and Hubinette study?
Witnesses who were not threatened had less accurate recall.
Witnesses who were threatened had better recall and accurate identification.
What was the aim of the Yuille and Cutshall study?
To investigate if anxiety affects the accuracy of eyewitness testimony (EWT).
What did Yuille and Cutshall do in their study?
They interviewed 13 witnesses of a deadly event.
What were the findings of the Yuille and Cutshall study?
Witnesses resisted misleading information.
Witnesses who were more stressed provided more accurate EWT.
What conclusion can be drawn from the Yuille and Cutshall study?
Anxiety and misleading information may not significantly affect accuracy in real-life situations.
Anxiety may not reduce EWT accuracy as much as previously thought.
What is the conclusion of the Christian and Hubinette study?
Memory can be highly accurate in stressful situations, and anxiety can improve the accuracy of EWT as awareness of the situation increases.
What is a key criticism of Johnson and Scott’s study on anxiety and EWT?
The study lacks ecological validity because the procedures were staged and do not reflect real-life incidents, where anxiety levels are higher.
Why might Johnson and Scott’s findings not generalize to real-life situations?
Their research may not explain the effects of anxiety on eyewitness testimony (EWT) in real incidents due to the artificial nature of the experiment.
