Loftus et al - Weapon Focus Effect Flashcards

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0
Q

What was the aim of the study by Loftus et al?

A

To provide support for the ‘weapon focus’ effect when witnessing a crime

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1
Q

What is the weapon focus effect?

A

Where witnesses focus on weapons at the expense of other aspects of the situation

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2
Q

What was the method?

A

A laboratory experiment

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3
Q

Describe the sample of the Loftus et al study

A

36 students from the University of Washington aged 18-31, half were recruited via advertisements and were paid $3.50 while the others were participating for extra credits

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4
Q

What were all participants shown?

A

18 slides of a series of events in a Taco restaurant

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5
Q

What was the independent variable?

A

The slide which showed the second person handing the cashier a cheque or pulling out a gun

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6
Q

In what group does the second person pull a gun on the cashier?

A

The experimental group

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7
Q

How long was each slide shown for?

A

1.5 seconds

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8
Q

What was the dependent variable and how was it operationalised?

A

Recognition of the person in later questioning, measured by a 20 item multiple choice questionnaire

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9
Q

In addition to the multiple choice questionnaire, what else were participants shown in a random sequence from which eye fixations were timed?

A

12 head and shoulder photographs which acted as a line-up

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10
Q

What were participants asked to do after viewing the line-up?

A

They were asked to rate how confident they were of making a correct identification on a scale of 1-6

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11
Q

In the control condition, how many people made a correct identification of the person from the photos?

A

38.9% (7 people)

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12
Q

In the experimental condition, how many participants made a correct identification of the person in the photos?

A

11.1% (2 people)

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13
Q

How did eye fixation differ between the 2 groups?

A

There was an average of 3.72 seconds fixation on the gun compared to 2.44 seconds on the cheque

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14
Q

What was concluded from Loftus et al’s study on weapon focus?

A

That information gained from eye witnesses can be unreliable because crimes involving a weapon would affect the ability of a witness to recognise or reconstruct a suspects face

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