Memory - Effect Of Anxiet On Ewt Testing

Question 1

Argument 1

Answer 1

Anxiety has a negative effect on recall.
- leads to an increased arousal in the body, which can stop us form paying attention to important cues.

Question 2

The weapon focus effect

Answer 2

If the crime is violent, then high anxiety and leves of arousal may focus attention on the central details of the attack

Question 3

Johnson and Scott (1976)- weapon focus effect

Answer 3

• ppts in a waiting room overheard a heated discussion in the room next door.
  Condition 1 : Man emerges holding ink stained pen (low anxiety) - 47 % of ppts could accurately identify this man

Condition 2: man emerges holding blood stained knife (high anxiety)- 36% of ppts accurately recalled this man

Question 4

Argument 2

Answer 4

Anxiety has a positive effect on recall.
- the stress of witnesses going a crime or accident creates anxiety.
- the fight or flight response is triggered which increases our alertness and therefore improves our memory of the event because we are more aware of cues .

Question 5

Yuille and cutshall (1986)

Answer 5

A group of 21 customers customers in a gun shop in Vancouver witness the owner of the shop shoot and kill a thief- they all gave statements to the police.
- 13 of these original witnesses were interviewed again 5 months later. The original statements were compared with the previous interviews for accuracy.
- they were also asked to rate how stressful they found the event (scale of 1-7)

Question 6

Findings of yuille and Cutshall

Answer 6

High stress group = 87% accuracy
Low stress group = 75% accuracy

Question 7

Yerkes- dodson law

Answer 7

Account for the two anxiety arguments using this law. , also called the inverted u - hypothesis
- states where anxiety is concerned, there is an optimum level where performance will be best.

Question 8

A03- the inverted u-theory explanation is too simplistic

Answer 8

• anxiety is very difficult to define/ measure accurately as it is due to numerous elements, but the u theory only assumes physiological arousal is linked to poor performance.
• therefore the inverted u - theory is an incomplete explanation.
  = lowering validity (reductionist)

Question 9

A03- individual differences

Answer 9

KEY EXTRANEOUS VARIABLE
The effect of emotional sensitivity on anxiety.
Study by both well et al tested ppts labelled as either :
Neurotic : accuracy levels decreased as stress levels increased
Stable: showed rising levels of accuracy as stress levels increased

Question 10

A03- anxiety control groups

Answer 10

One problem with many lab-based and real- life studies of anxiety is that they only compare high and low anxiety groups
- the inverted u theory cannot be properly tested unless there is a moderate control group aswell

Question 11

A03- weapon focus affect may not be relevant

Answer 11

• study that Johnson and Scott may actually be testing surprise rather anxiety.
  Pickel et al (1998)- measured anxiety in a hairdressing salon
  = ew accuracy was significantly lower in the higher unusualness conditions, not necessarily threat
  = lowers internal validity of J+S

Question 12

Evaluation of yuille and cutshall

Answer 12

• unethical
• physiological harm
  -other extraneous variables, not anxiety, that would efffect memory after 5 months
• “control group” reduces DC as not all ppts would know what was going to happen
• supports/ gives credit to amusement 2
• high ecological/ external validity

Question 13

Evaluation of yuille and cutshall method type (natural)

Answer 13

• ppts cannot be randomly allocated to the “stressed” vs. “Non stressed” groups, so there is a high chance of confounding variables
• can’t control things like post- event discussion, as they are not in a lab environment
• cannot be ethically replicated- reliability ???!!