Eyewitness testimony Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is anxiety?
An unpleasant state of high arousal.
Explain Yuille and Cutshall’s research stating that ‘ Anxiety has a positive effect on recall’ ?
They studied a real-life robbery of a gun shop. 13 witnesses took part. They found that ppts who reported experiencing the highest levels of stress were more accurate in their recall of details of the event than those that reported feeling less stressed ( 83% compared to 75%). This suggest anxiety can have a positive effect on EWT.
What are strengths of Yuille and Cutshall’s and Christianson and Hubinette research?
-It has high ecological validity.
Because ppts witnessed ab actual crime in real life so the finding can be generalised to everyday life.
What are weaknesses of Christianson and Hubinette and Yuille and Cutshall research?
- It is an unethical recall of crime and it has no control of anything.
-Very small sample and it relies on self-report.
Explain Christianson and Hubinette research ( Anxiety has a positive effect on recall)?
They interviewed actual witnesses to bank robberies, some were direct victims 9high anxiety) and some were bystanders ( low anxiety). They found that more than 75% accuracy across all witnesses. Victims( high anxiety) were the most accurate.
Explain Johnson and Scott 1976 research stating Anxiety has a negative effect on recall (Independent measures).
Johnson and Scott (1976) investigated the effect of anxiety on recall by exposing participants to a low-anxiety (pen and grease) or high-anxiety (knife and blood) situation and then testing their ability to identify the man they saw from a set of photos. Participants in the high-anxiety condition were less accurate (33%) at identifying the man than those in the low-anxiety condition (49%), suggesting that heightened anxiety can impair eyewitness recall.
What are the strengths of Johnson and Scott’s research?
The study used a controlled experiment, allowing for reliable comparisons between anxiety levels, and has practical applications for understanding eyewitness testimony.
What are the weaknesses’ of Johnson and Scott’s research?
It may lack ecological validity since it was conducted in a lab setting, and ethical concerns arise due to the use of potentially distressing stimuli.
What was the contradictory research of Johnsons and Scotts study?
Pickel 1988 found that ppts were less accurate with recall when viewing a scene in a hairdressers including items such as a raw chicken (when compared to scissors, for example). Therefore, Johnson and Scott study may have actually tested surprise rather than anxiety over the weapon.
Explain Yerkes-Dodson law explaining the contradictory findings?
The Yerkes-Dodson Law suggests a curvilinear relationship between arousal and performance, where memory recall is best at moderate anxiety levels and worse at very low or very high levels. This explains contradictory findings by suggesting that anxiety doesn’t always impair recall—it can sometimes improve it if it’s at an optimal level.
What are the issues with Yerkes-Dodson theory( being too simplistic)?
it doesn’t account for individual differences, types of anxiety (e.g., trait vs. state), or the nature of the task, meaning real-life memory performance is influenced by more complex factors than arousal alone.
