Memory- factors affecting eyewitness testimony: anxiety

Memory- factors affecting eyewitness testimony: anxiety

1. Negative effect

   • Anxiety creates physiological arousal, so concentration is worse
   • Johnson and Scott, 1976
     • Participants thought they were going to do a lab study. While in the waiting room, they witnessed an argument
     • Low anxiety condition
       • Argument- man with pen and grease
       • 49% recognition of suspect
     • High anxiety condition
       • Argument- broken glass- knife and blood
       • 33% recognition of suspect
       • Tunnel theory- focus on weapon

2. Positive effect

   • Fight or flight response increases alertness
   • Yuille and Cutshall, 1986
     • Studied a real life shooting in a gun shop in which the shop owner shot the thief dead.
     • The witnesses were interviewed 4-5 months after the event. Accuracy was determined by how many details they could recall, and they were also asked to rate how stressed they were, and if they had any emotional problems
     • The witnesses were very accurate in their accounts, with little change from 5 months previous. Those who reported high stress levels were more accurate than those who reported low levels (88% compared to 75%)

3. Explanation of contradictory evidence

   • Yerkes and Dodson, 1908
     • The relationship between performance and emotional arousal is an inverted U
       • Deffenbacher, 1983
         • Low levels of anxiety led to low levels of recall, while too much anxiety also led to low levels of recall
           • There is an optimal level of anxiety to ensure best performance

4. Evaluation

   • Weapon focus effect may be irrelevant
     • Surprised at what they see, not scared
     • Pickel, 1998
       • Used handgun, raw chicken, scissors or a wallet
       • Recall was worse with the more unusual objects
         • Raw chicken and handgun
   • Field studies lack control
     • e.g. post event discussion, news in the media
       • Extraneous variables may be responsible for results
   • Ethical issues
     • Psychological harm
   • Inverted U is too simplistic
     • Anxiety is not just physical, but also cognitive, behavioural and emotional
   • Demand characteristics
     • Work out aim and act accordingly