5🍓Factors affceting accuracy EWT- Memory PAPER 1

Question 1

anxiety has negative effect on recall

Answer 1

-anxiety creates physiological arousal in body which prevents us paying attention to important cues so recall worse

Question 2

Johnson and Scott (1976) method

Answer 2

-participants believed taking part in lab study, while in waiting room:
Low anxiety condition
-heard a casual conversation next door then saw man walk past carrying pen and grease in his hands
High anxiety condition
-participants overheard heated argument accompanied by sound of breaking glass
-man walked out room holding knife covered in blood

Question 3

Johnson and Scott (1976) Result

Answer 3

-participants later picked out man from set 50 photos
-49% in low anxiety condition chose correctly
-33% in high anxiety condition chose correctly
-tunnel theory of memory argues people have enhanced memory for central detail
-weapon focus as result of anxiety have this effect

Question 4

anxiety has positive effect on recall

Answer 4

-witnessing stressful event creates anxiety through physiological arousal within body
-the fight or flight response triggered, increasing alertness
-may improve memory for event as we become more aware of cues in situation

Question 5

Riniolo et al (2003)

Answer 5

AIM: investigate reliability of memory for central detail of rhe witnesses to sinking Titanic
METHOD:
-evaluated accuracy of archival eyewitness testimony transcriptions from 20 survivors
RESULTS:
-most eyewitnesse testimony (15/20) consistent eith foresnsic evidence that demonstrated Titanic breaking apart while on oceans surface
CONCLUSION: majority of eyewitnesses accurately recall central details

Question 6

Yerkes and Dodson (1908)

Answer 6

-states relationship between emotional arousal and performance looks like inverted U
Yerkes Dodson law:
-lower levels arousal produce lower levels recall accuracy
-memory more accurate as level arousal increase
-optimal level anxiety, maximum accuracy
-moire arousal causes recall to suffer drastic decline

Question 7

Strength anxiety negative effect recall

Answer 7

-evidence by Johnson and Scott (1976) supporting claim

Question 8

Limitation study Johnson and Scott

Answer 8

-may not tested anxiety
-focus on weapon as were suprised not scared
-Pickel (1998) experiment scissors, handgun, wallet, or raw chicken held in hairdressing salon video
-eyewitness accuracy significantly poorer in high unusualness conditions (chicken and handgun)
-suggests weapon focus effect due to unusualness rather than anxiety, tell us nothing about effect anxiety on eye witness testimony

Question 9

Strength anxiety positive effect recall

Answer 9

-evidence Christianson and Hubinette (1993) interview 58 witness to bank robberies in Sweden
-some directly involved (bank workers) some indirectly (bystanders)
-Recall more than 75% accurate across all, direct witnesses (assumed to experience most anxiety) even more accurate
-confirm anxiety does not reduce accuracy eye witness testimony, enhance it

Question 10

Counterpoint Christianson and Hubinette

Answer 10

-interviewed participants several months after event (4-15)
-so researchers no control over what happened to participants in intervening time (eg post event discussion)
-effects anxiety may have ebeen overwhelmed by other factors impossible to assess
-possible that lack of control over confounding variables responsible for findings

Question 11

another factor influencing EWT

Answer 11

-misleading information
-any ifnromation that leads you into giving particular response as opposed to necessarily accurate response

Question 12

types of misleading information

Answer 12

-leading questions (suggest desired answer)
-post event discussion (information given after event with potential to influence memory of it)

Question 13

Loftus and Palmer (1974) AIM

Answer 13

-to examine effect of leading questions on accuracy of EWT

Question 14

Loftus and Palmer (1974) METHOD

Answer 14

-sample 45 American studnets, divided into five groups of nine
-all watched video of car crash and then asked specific question about speed of cars
-manipulated verb used in question
‘How fast were the cars going when they smashed/collided/bumped/hit/contacted with eachother?’

Question 15

Loftus and Palmer (1974) RESULTS

Answer 15

-participants who were asked the question using verb ‘smashed’ estimated highest speed (40.5)
-particpants asked question with verb ‘contacted’ estimated lowest speed (31.8)
-verb smashed connotations to higher speed, led participants report something that was not necessarily true

Question 16

Loftus and Palmer (1974) CONCLUSION

Answer 16

-Memory of an event can be distorted by leading questions

Question 17

Gabbert et al (2003) AIM

Answer 17

-investigate effect of post event discussion on accuracy of eyewitness testimony

Question 18

Gabbert et al (2003) METHOD

Answer 18

-participants watched video of girl stealing money from wallet
-participants tested in pairs (co witness group) or individualy (control)
-co witness group told they watched same video, however they had actually seen different perspectives of same crime, only one peprson in pair witnessed girl stealing
-co witness group discussed crime together then all compelte questionnaire testing memory event

Question 19

Gabbert et al (2003) RESULTS

Answer 19

-71% witnesses in co witness group recalled information they had not actually seen
-60% said girl was guilty despite fact they had not seen her commit crime

Question 20

Gabbert et al (2003) CONCLUSION

Answer 20

-witnesses often go along with eachother either to win social approval or because they belive other witness right

Question 21

why does post event discussion affect EWT

Answer 21

-memory contamination: when co witnesses to crime discuss, EWT may become altered or distorted, combine misinformation from other witnesses with own memories
-memory conformity: witnesses go along with each other to win social approval or because belive other wtiness right, unlike memory contamination, actual memory unchanged

Question 22

weakness factors affecting EWT (Yuille)

Answer 22

Yuille and Cutshall (1986)
-interviewed 13 witness to deadly shooting four months after event
-found witnesses resisted misleading information and those with most anxiety (closest to shooter) produced most accurate EWT
-suggests misleading information and anxiety may not be significant problem for real world EWT

Question 23

strength factors affecting EWT (real)

Answer 23

-research in limitations of EWT led to real life applications
-improvements in justice system stemming from development of cognitive interview designed to reduce influence schemas in accuracy recall

Question 24

limitation factors effecting EWT (ecological)

Answer 24

-experimental designs such as Loftus use films of stages crashes conducted in lab setting rather than court room
-participants aware of lack of consequence for providing inaccurate EWT
-lack ecological validity, not reflective of court where individuals under oath and lying could lead to conviction