eye witness testimony: anxiety

• What type of studies were both Johnson's and Scott's studies?

  Field studies
• What is a criticism of field studies mentioned in the material?

  They lack control over extraneous variables
• How can anxiety affect recall in field studies?

  Anxiety effects may be overwhelmed by other factors
• What does the Yerkes-Dodson Law state about anxiety and recall?

  Recall improves with anxiety to a point
• What happens to recall when anxiety is low according to the Yerkes-Dodson Law?

  Recall will be low
• What happens to memory when anxiety exceeds a certain level?

  Memory becomes negatively affected
• What did Pickle (1998) find regarding unusual items in recall?

  Recall was worse for unusual items
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the inverted-U explanation of anxiety and recall?

  Strengths:

  • Explains contradictory findings in studies
  • Provides a framework for understanding anxiety effects

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Too simplistic for complex anxiety measurement
  • Only measures perceived physiological arousal
• What is the first step in the fight or flight response?

  Detection of a threat by the brain
• What chemical is released during the fight or flight response?

  Adrenaline
• What happens to the body during anxious situations?

  The body prepares for fight or flight
• What effect does adrenaline have on the nervous system?

  It activates the sympathetic nervous system
• What are the steps involved in the fight or flight response?

  1. Detection of a threat by the brain
  2. Release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands
  3. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system
  4. Body prepares for fight or flight
• What is the main focus of the experiment involving misleading information?

  Investigating the impact of misleading questions
• Why is Question A considered misleading in the experiment?

  It uses vague terminology about the subject
• What is an appropriate experimental design for the misleading information experiment?

  Independent measures design
• Why would a repeated measures design be unsuitable for this experiment?

  Participants would see the same photograph twice
• Why is a pilot study appropriate for this experiment?

  To test the effectiveness of the questions
• What is one strength of using a photograph instead of a live conversation in the experiment?

  It allows for controlled observation of details
• What is one limitation of using a photograph in the experiment?

  It lacks the dynamic context of a live event
• What are the negative effects of anxiety on eyewitness testimony (EWT)?

  • Physiological arousal prevents attention to cues
  • Presence of a weapon heightens anxiety
  • Results in poorer recall of details
• What are the positive effects of anxiety on eyewitness testimony (EWT)?

  • Can enhance memory recall up to a point
  • May improve focus on critical details
  • Important for understanding the complexity of EWT
• What year was Johnson and Scott's weapon experiment conducted?

  1976
• What year was Yuille and Cutshall's study conducted?

  1986
• What are the methods used in Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  • Real-life eyewitness accounts
  • In-depth interviews with witnesses
  • Analysis of accuracy over time
• What are the results of Yuille and Cutshall's study?

  • High accuracy in recall
  • Memory retained over time
  • Contradicts laboratory findings on anxiety