factors effecting the accuracy of eyewitness testimony-anxiety Flashcards
(43 cards)
anxiety definition
a state of emotional and physical arousal. the emotions include having worried thoughts and feelings of tension. physical changes include and increases heart rate and sweatiness. anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations, but it can affect the accuracy and detail of eyewitness testimony
what effects does anxiety have
strong physical and emotional
what effect does anxiety have on accuracy of eyewitness testimony
unclear if it makes eyewitness recall better or worse as there is research supporting both possibilities
which focus study shows anxiety to have negative effect on recall
weapon focus
why does anxiety decrease accuracy of eyewitness testimony
creates physiological arousal in the body which prevents us paying attention to important cues, so recall is worse
how does weapon focus work
an approach to studying accuracy of eyewitness testimony is to look at effect of a weapon which creates anxiety, this leads to focus on the weapon, reducing witness’s recall for other details of the event
who did research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus)
Johnson and Scott
when did Johnson and Scott do research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus)
1976
in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus) procedure
participants believed they were taking part in a lab study. there was a low-anxiety and a high-anxiety condition. the in low-anxiety condition participants were seated in a waiting room and heard a casual conversation in next room and saw a man walk past carrying a pen with grease in his hands. in high-anxiety condition, participants heard a heated argument accompanied by the sound of broken glass, a man walked out the room holding a knife covered in blood
what were the 2 conditions in in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus)
-high-anxiety
-low-anxiety
what was the high anxiety condition for in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus)
participants overheard a heated argument accompanied by the sound of broken glass. a man walked out the room holding a knife covered in blood
what was the low-anxiety condition in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus)
participants overheard a casual conversation and saw a man walk past carrying a pen with grease on his hands
in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus) findings
participants later picked the man out of a set of 50 photos 49% who saw man carrying the pen were able to identify him. 33% were able to recognise the man holding the knife
in Johnson and Scott’s research for anxiety having a negative effect on recall (weapon focus) conclusion
the tunnel theory of memory argues that people have enhanced memory for central events. weapon focus as a result of anxiety can have this effect
what is tunnel theory of memory
people have an enhanced memory for central events
what focus can have tunnel theory of memory
weapon
why does anxiety have a positive effect on recall
witnessing a stressful event creates anxiety through physiological arousal within the body. the fight or flight response is triggered, increasing alertness. this may improve memory as are more aware of cues in the situation
who did research for anxiety having a positive effect on recall
Yuille and Cutshall
when did Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall
1986
Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall procedure
study of an actual shooting in a gun shop in Vancouver, Canada. the shop owner shot a thief dead. there were 21 witnesses and 13 took part in the study, they were interviewed 4/5 months after incident and interviews were compared with the original police interviews taken at the time. accuracy was determined by number of details reported in each account. witnesses were asked to rate how stressed they felt at the time of incident on a 7-point scale and if they had had emotional problems since
Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall findings
witnesses were very accurate in accounts and there was little change in amount of recall after 5 months, although some details such as age/height/weight estimates were less accurate participants how recorded highest amount of stress had more accurate recall of 88% compared to 75% for less stressed group
Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall witness and how many took part
21 witnesses and 13 took part on study
Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall how long after event were participants interviewed
4-5 months
Yuille and Cutshall research anxiety having a positive effect on recall how was accuracy determined
number of details reported in each account