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factors affecting eyewitness testimony: anxiety
- the effects of anxiety
- anxiety has stong emotional and physical effects - does this make EWT worse or better
- anxiety has a negative effect on recall
- anxiety creates physiological
arousal in the body - prevents use
paying attention
- so worse recall
- so worse recall
- Johnsons & Scott
- weapon focus effect
- procedure
- participant thought that they
were taking part in a lab
experiment
- low anxiety condition
- heard a calm conversation
- then a man walked out with greasy hands holding a pen
- then a man walked out with greasy hands holding a pen
- heard a calm conversation
- high anxiety condition
- heard an argument and breaking glass
- then a man walked out with a bloody knife
- then a man walked out with a bloody knife
- heard an argument and breaking glass
- low anxiety condition
- participant thought that they
were taking part in a lab
experiment
- findings
- later the participants had to pick out the man form 50 photos
- low anxiety had 49% accuracy
- high anxiety had 33% accuracy
- tunnel theory
- attention focuses on the weapon ads it
is the source of anxiety
- attention focuses on the weapon ads it
is the source of anxiety
- tunnel theory
- high anxiety had 33% accuracy
- low anxiety had 49% accuracy
- later the participants had to pick out the man form 50 photos
- procedure
- weapon focus effect
- anxiety creates physiological
arousal in the body - prevents use
paying attention
- anxiety has a positive effect on recall
- fight or flight is triggered - increases alertness
and improves memory - more aware of the
situation
- Yuille & Judith
- procedure
- study from a real life shooting
- shop owner shot a thief dead
- 21 witnesses - 13 agreed to take part
- interviews held 4-5 months after
- compared to the original police interviews
- accuracy determined by the number of details reported
- asked to report how stressed they were out
of 7 and any emotional problems
- asked to report how stressed they were out
of 7 and any emotional problems
- accuracy determined by the number of details reported
- compared to the original police interviews
- interviews held 4-5 months after
- 21 witnesses - 13 agreed to take part
- shop owner shot a thief dead
- study from a real life shooting
- findings
- very accurate little change
- some were less accurate e.g. colour of shirt, height weight
- the participants who reported the highest levels of stress
were most accurate
- 88% rather than 75% of less stressed group
- 88% rather than 75% of less stressed group
- the participants who reported the highest levels of stress
were most accurate
- some were less accurate e.g. colour of shirt, height weight
- very accurate little change
- procedure
- Yuille & Judith
- fight or flight is triggered - increases alertness
and improves memory - more aware of the
situation
- explaining the contradictory findings
- Yerkes and Dodson
- Deffenbacher
- applied it to EWT
- found that it is accurate
- found that it is accurate
- applied it to EWT
- Deffenbacher
- Yerkes and Dodson
- anxiety has a negative effect on recall
- anxiety has stong emotional and physical effects - does this make EWT worse or better
- evaluation
- weapon focus effect may not be relevant
- may test surprise more than anxiety
- they focused on the weapon as they were surprised
- pickel
- did the some but different objects in a hair salon
- scissors got the least surprise and raw chicken got the most
- scissors got the least surprise and raw chicken got the most
- did the some but different objects in a hair salon
- pickel
- they focused on the weapon as they were surprised
- may test surprise more than anxiety
- field studies sometimes lack control
- if they interview long after the event
- anything could have happened e.g. post event discussion
- extraneous variables
- less accurate recall
- less accurate recall
- extraneous variables
- anything could have happened e.g. post event discussion
- if they interview long after the event
- there are ethical issues
- creating anxiety could cause physiological harm
- doesn't make any difference to the results
- benefit of the research may outweigh the issues
- benefit of the research may outweigh the issues
- doesn't make any difference to the results
- creating anxiety could cause physiological harm
- weapon focus effect may not be relevant
- evaluation +
- the inverted U explanation is too simplistic
- anxiety is hard to define and measure accurately
- it has many elements - cognitive, behavioural, emotional, physical
- inverted U says only physiological is involved
- inverted U says only physiological is involved
- it has many elements - cognitive, behavioural, emotional, physical
- anxiety is hard to define and measure accurately
- demand characteristics operate in lab studies of anxiety
- watch a film (usually a staged crime)
- participants can guess that they are going to be asked questions
- they are more vigilant
- they are more vigilant
- participants can guess that they are going to be asked questions
- watch a film (usually a staged crime)
- the inverted U explanation is too simplistic
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