Lesson 11 - Anxiety and Eyewitness Testimony

Question 1

What is anxiety

Answer 1

A state of apprehension, uncertainty and fear resulting from a threatening situation

Question 2

Effects of anxiety

Answer 2

Impair both physical and psychological functioning

Question 3

Weapon focus effect

Answer 3

Presence of a weapon during a crime increases anxiety and therefore impair witnesses’ memory of the crime
Observers of a crime pay attention to the biggest threat (weapon) due to high anxiety
They can recall the weapon much better than the criminal themselves

Question 4

Anxiety Procedure

Loftus (1979) - Experimental Condition

Answer 4

Experimental condition, Loftus arranged participants to overhear a heated argument between two people
Heard sounds of furniture being overturned and broken glass
Man emerges carrying letter opener in blood

Question 5

Anxiety Procedure

Loftus (1979) - Control Condition

Answer 5

Participants overhear conversation between two people about lab equipment failure before a man with grease over his hands emerges carrying a pen
Participants then asked to identify the person they had seen from 50 photos

Question 6

Anxiety Findings

Loftus (1979)

Answer 6

33% of participants in bloody letter opener experimental condition recognised photo of person carrying letter
49% of participants in pen condition recognised photo of the person carrying the pen
Loftus argued this occurred due to people in experimental condition focusing on bloody letter opener as it is seen as a weapon posing a threat

Question 7

Evaluation of Anxiety - Loftus and Burns (1982)

Answer 7

Allocated participants one of two conditions
One group watched violent short film
Other group watched non violent short film
Participants less accurate in recall for violent film
Supports weapon effect as they more focused on threat than crime

Question 8

Evaluation of Anxiety - Ecological Validity

Answer 8

Although waiting in reception area outside lab, participants could anticipate something was going to happen => affect accuracy of judgment
Lack of ecological validity

Question 9

Evaluation of Anxiety - Ethical Guidelines

Answer 9

Deceived about nature of experiment and not protected from psychological harm
Exposed to man who they believed killed someone
Caused extreme distress
Left experiment feeling exceptionally stressed

Question 10

Evaluation of Anxiety - Yuille and Cutshall (1986)

Answer 10

Investigated effect of anxiety in real life shooting in which one person was killed and another wounded
21 witnesses were interviewed by police and 13 agreed to be in follow up interview for study 5 months later
Little change found in testimony
Avoided leading questions
Most distressed gave most accurate account
Leading questions and anxiety do not affect accuracy of eyewitness testimony in real life like they do in a lab

Question 11

Evaluation of Anxiety - Christianson and Hubinette (1983)

Answer 11

Some people have better recall when anxious
Research using 110 real life eyewitnesses who witnessed one of 22 bank robberies
Some were onlookers and some were bank clerks who were directly threatened by robbers
Victims were more accurate than onlookers in their description of the robbers