FAEWT: Anxiety

Question 1

Weapon-focus effect

Answer 1

Anxiety may be due to criminal holding gun/weapon
Eyewitness more likely to look at weapon (scared)

Asked to wait in a room for study
Whilst sat - heated argument in other room
Man ran out with either knife w/ blood, or pen w/ grease
35% identify man w/ knife
49% identify man w/ pen

Question 2

Anxiety increases accuracy

Answer 2

Real-life study
58 pp witness bank robbery
witness’ recall reasonably accurate
Found those threatened in some way, more accurate with details

Question 3

Resolving contradiciton

Answer 3

21 studies of effects of anxiety on ew testimony
anxiety/arousal = moderate = EW accuracy enhanced
anxiety/arousal = extreme = accuracy reduced

Question 4

AO3

Answer 4

Pickel - not anxiety
Thief enter hairdressing salon carrying
scissors (high threat, low surprise)
hangun (high threat, high surprise)
wallet (low threat, low surprise)
raw chicken (low threat, high surprise)
Identification least accurate in high surprise
Weapon focus = surprise not anxiety

Real life studies
34 studies, lab studies showed anxiety reduced accuracy
Real-life studies show greater loss in accuracy
Supported

Demand characteristics
Aware watching staged crime, may pay more attention

Individual differences
tested stable vs neurotic pp
Stable pp = rising levels of accuracy + stress level increase
Neurotic: decrease levels of accuracy + stress level increase
Depends on personality characteristics