memory- factors affecting EWT

Question 1

misleading info
strength: real world application (3)

Answer 1

-practical uses in criminal justice system- leading questions distort memory alot so police need to phrase them carefully
-psychologists act as expert witnesses in trials to explain limits of EWT to judges
-shows psychologists help improve legal system- prevent innocent people from faulty convictions due to unreliable EWT

Question 2

misleading info
limitation: research findings disagreed with loftus and palmer (4)

Answer 2

-researchers’ natural experiment involved asking leading questions (anxiety AO1)
-misleading questions didnt reduce EWT accuracy
-contradicts loftus+palmer. where leading questions significantly influenced memories
-suggests in high-stress events, EWT can be more accurate evenn if exposed to leading questions

Question 3

misleading info
limitation: weak research support (4)

Answer 3

-both studies had artificial tasks- studies lack mundane realism
-both studies were lab studies- low external validity, lacks ecological validity
-memory test responses could have demand characteristics- guessing the most helpful answer- invalid findings
-results dont reflect everyday accidents- cant say people in real accidents would be susceptible to leading q’s in the same way- they have stronger emotional connection to event

Question 4

misleading info
limitation- evidence challenging memory conformity (4)

Answer 4

-PED alters EWT
-researchers showed p’s film clips (2versions) eg. cuplrit had dark brown hair in one and light brown hair in the other. P’s discussed what they saw
-didnt report what they saw/heard but reported a blend eg. medium brown hair
-suggests memory is distorted through contamination not conformity

Question 5

anxiety
strength: positive effects of anxiety on recall (3)

Answer 5

-researchers interviewed 58 witnesses to bank robberies (directly involved bank staff and indirectly involved bystanders)
-recall was 75% accurate for all witnesses, direct victims were more accurate
-shows anxiety doesnt reduce recall accuracy for EWT- can even enhance it

Question 6

anxiety
limitation: field studies lack control (3)

Answer 6

-yuille and cutshall- many things could happen to p’s between the event and time of study (5 months later) eg. PED, interviews, media- these cant be controlled
-these extraneous variables affect EWT accuracy
-effects of anxiety may be overwhelmed by other factors and impossible to assess by the time of the study

Question 7

anxiety
limitation: unusualness, not anxiety (4)

Answer 7

-johnson and scott may not have tested anxiety
-p’s focused on weapon because they were surprised, not scared
-researcher did experiment using scissors, gun, wallet, chicken as handheld items in salon
-EWT was significantly poorer in high unusualness (chicken and gun)

Question 8

anxiety
limitation- problems with yerkes-dodson law (3)

Answer 8

-only focuses on physiological arousal (physical changes affect EWT accuracy)
-anxiety is more complex- eg. cognitive element (the way we think about an event affects memory of it)
-theory too simplistic as the way we think about stressful events could have a different effect on EWT compared with physiological arousal