Factors Affecting Eye Witness Testimony: Anxiety
- Created by: zara.mathur
- Created on: 15-12-19 19:16
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- Factors Affecting Eye Witness Testimony: Anxiety
- AO1
- Violent crimes/ Shocking Events witnesses may experience high anxiety levels
- Psychology arousal can prevent individuals from paying attention to important details
- Weapon Focus Effect
- Witnesses' attention drawn to weapon (anxiety source) rather than culprits' face
- Decreases accuracy of EWT
- Violent crimes/ Shocking Events witnesses may experience high anxiety levels
- AO3
- Anxiety decreases EWT: Johnson and Scott
- Ps led to believe they were taking part in a study
- Whilst waiting outside heard an argument
- 2 Conditions
- High Anxiety: Heated argument + sound of broken glass, man walks out of room holding bloody plastic knife
- Low Anxiety: Heated argument, man walks out of room holding pen with greasy hands
- 2 Conditions
- Whilst waiting outside heard an argument
- 1/3 identified man in high anxiety
- 1/2 identified man in low anxiety
- Methodology of the study can be criticised: lacks eco validity
- Experiment conducted in lab, witness wouldn't experience same amount of anxiety as actual crime
- Ps led to believe they were taking part in a study
- Anxiety has positive effect on recall: Yuille and Cutshall
- Real life shooting in Vancouver - owner shot thief dead, witnessed by 21 people
- Interviews conducted 5 months after, compared with original
- EWT similar before & after
- Recall was accurate even after a long time and 2 misleading questions
- Real life shooting in Vancouver - owner shot thief dead, witnessed by 21 people
- Anxiety decreases EWT: Johnson and Scott
- AO1
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