Anxiety is the body's physiological response to stress, shown by an increased heart rate, increased sweat production etc. Anxiety can have either a positive or negative effect on the accuracy of EWT. Johnson and Scott (1976) demonstrated that anxiety has a negative effect on the accuracy of EWT. When asked to identify the man, participants in the high-anxiety condition experienced 16% lower rates of accurate recall, compared to the low anxiety condition . This may be explained by the tunnel theory of memory and the weapon focus effect, where our attention is drawn towards the weapon
