Effect of Anxiety

Effect of Anxiety

1. Negative Effect

   • Loftus
     • Methodology
       • Loftus investigated the weapons effect
         • All P. were given 50 photos and asked to identify the person they saw emerge from the lab
       • Lab experiment & independent groups design
       • Group 1 = overheared a low-key discussion about lab equipment failure and then saw a person emerge from the lab holding a pen with grease on his hands
         • Group 2 = overheared a heated and hostile arguement and after the sound of breaking glass and crashing chairs, a man emerged from the lab holding a knife and covered in blood
     • Findings
       • Group 1 = 49% accuratly idenified him
       • Group 2 = 33% accurately identified him
     • Conclusion
       • Anxiety can have a negative effect on the accuracy of EWT

2. Positive Effect

   • Christianson & Hubinette
     • Methodology
       • Natural Experiment
       • Surveyed 100 people who had witnessed 22 genuine bank robberies between them
         • Some of them were bystanders and others were directly threatened
     • Conclusion
       • Anxiety may have a positive effect on the accuracy of EWT
     • Findings
       • Those who were subjected to the greatest anxiety had more accurate and detailed recall of the event

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