EWT

• yuille + cutshall (1985)


  a = increasing alertness would improve memory for the event

  'fight or flight' response makes individual more aware of situational cues
• yuille + cutshall (1986)


  p = 21 witnesses of actual gun shooting in vancouver

  13 took part in the study

  interviewed, 4-5 months after incident.

  compared answers to original police interviews, the accuracy determined by the number of details reported in each account.

  asked to rate stress at time of incident on a seven point scale and to report if they had emotional problems since the event (eg sleeplessness)
• yuille + cutshall (1986)


  f = high stress - 88% accurate recall

  low stress- 75% accurate recall
• yuille + cutshall (1986)


  c = suggests anxiety doesn't have a detrimental effect on accuracy of eye witness memory in the real world context, and may even enhance it
• yuille + cutshall (1986) evaluation 


  • natural experiment- less control
  • natural experiment- high ecological validity