Memory Factors Anxiety Affecting Accuracy Of EWT

Question 1

Eye witness testimonies (EWT) are

Answer 1

Ability of ppl to remember Event details eg accidents ,crimes, which they have observed
Accuracy can be affected by anxiety

Question 2

Anxiety is

Answer 2

Emotional or physical arousal
Increased heart rate, thoughts feelings or of tension
Normal reaction to stressful situations

Question 3

Yerkes Dobson law states

Answer 3

Moderate anxiety is good
,provides excellent mem
But low stress =poor mem
N high stress=poor mem

Question 4

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
method

Answer 4

Participants asked to sit in room where hearing argument in adjoining room then saw man rounding through room with either bloody knife (high anxiety confition)or oiled pen( low anxiety condition)
.then asked to identify man from set of photographs.

Question 5

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Results

Answer 5

Supported weapon focus effect
Mean accuracy 49%
In pen condition
33% in knife condition
-Focus on central features eg weapon

Monitored eye witnesses eye movements found presence of weapon caused attention towards weapon ,taking away from othwr things eg perpetrator face

Question 6

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Weapon focus effect

Answer 6

Witnesses attention typically focused on weapon
Cus fear for own safety
Corresponds to lack of attention to face of perpetrator
Reduces accuracy in EWT

Question 7

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
High control

Answer 7

IV cause Dv

Question 8

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Practical application

Answer 8

We now know EWT is not always accurate ,anxiety can distort n make less accurate
Police need caution when interviewing -try make witness feel calm as possible

Question 9

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Individual diff

Answer 9

Emotional sensitivity variable not controlled
Bothwell tested for personality characters neurotics(anxious quick ppl)
Accuracy levels decreased as stress increased
But stable(less emotionally sensitive) participants showed rising lev of accuracy when stress increased.
Anxiety affects diff ppl diff ways

Question 10

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Contradictory study
method

Answer 10

Real life shooting -one killed another seriously injured
13 witnesses 15-32 yrs old asked to be part of follow up stud
4-5 months later
In police interviews word for word accounts obtained+follow up Qs to clarify points of detail
Researchers also asked 2 misleading Qs

Question 11

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Contradictory stud
Results

Answer 11

Little change found
Wording of misleading Qs =no effect
Those who were most effected were most accurate
88% accuracy Unlike other stud 75%

Question 12

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Contradictory stud
Conclusion

Answer 12

Recall isn’t nessasarily susceptible to misleading Qs or related to stress levels

Question 13

Memory -factors affecting accuracy of EWT
Anxiety
Contradictory stud
Y not supporting evidence

Answer 13

Cus anxiety don’t reduce accuracy in real life (real worl research)-highly generalisable
Therefore findings of other studies may contradict these one n may nor be valid