FATAOEWT : Anxiety

Question 1

What is Anxiety?

Answer 1

A state of emotional and physical arousal, creating feelings of panic, worry and tension

Question 2

Describe the research on the negative effect of recall

Answer 2

• Johnson and Scott (1976). Participants believed they were taking part in a lab study and in the low anxiety condition heard a causal conversation next door and then saw a man walk out with a pen and grease on his hands
• In the high anxiety condition, they heard a heated argument and saw a man walk out with a knife covered in blood

Question 3

What were the findings of the research?

Answer 3

• the partcipants were asked to pick the man out from 50 photos and 49% of people could identify him in the low anxiety condition
• 33% could in the high anxiety condition

Question 4

What is the tunnel theory?

Answer 4

• their is enhanced memory for central events, in this case it was the weapon

Question 5

Explain the research on anxiety having a positive effect on recall

Answer 5

• Yuille and Cutshall conducted a study of a shooting in a shop.
• 13 witnesses took part
• they were interviewed 5 months after and compared to the intermediate interviews
• they ranked their stress at the time on a 7 point scale

Question 6

What were the findings of Yuile and Cutshalls research

Answer 6

• the witnesses accuracy remained after 5 Months, little details changed
• those with higher anxiety on the scale were the most accurate

Question 7

Describe the research on contradictory research

Answer 7

• Deffenbacher reviewed 21 studies of EWT and created the yerkes - Dodson law.

Question 8

What is yerkes Dodson law and draw it

Answer 8

• as anxiety increases, performance improves to a peak (optimal accuracy)
• however, after this there is a drastic decline

Question 9

What is the strength

Answer 9

S - There is evidence for negative effects from Valentine and Mesout. They measured heart rate and those with higher anxiety had worse recall about the labyrinth

Question 10

What are the two weaknesses of this

Answer 10

1. Johnson and scott’s research is limited as participants may have been surprised and not scared, showing that anxiety might have not directly had an effect on performance
2. Problems with the inverted U theory as it only measures arousal and not the cognitive or behavioural aspects of anxiety showing that it is limited.