discuss factors affecting EWT

• introduction

  • Eyewitness Testimony - ability to recall details of events
  • affected by misleading information and anxiety
• A01

  Misleading information

  • leading questions - suggest a particular answer
  • Loftus & Palmer: 40.5mph (smashed) and 31.8mph (contacted)
  • wording influences recall and distorts memory
  • post-event discussion - contaminates memories by misinformation
  • Gabbert et al: 71% recalled wrong information after discussion
  • conform to others' accounts
• A01

  Anxiety

  • negative effects - weapon focus effect
  • Johnson & Scott: 49% identified man in low anxiety compared to 33% in high anxiety
  • narrowed attention on source of anxiety
  • positive effects - fight or flight response
  • Yuille & Cutshall: if reported higher stress gave more accurate accounts
  • increases alertness
• A03

  • research support
  • Loftus & Palmer found EWT is highly susceptible to external influences so it's unreliable
  • contradictory evidence
  • Yuille & Cutshall found anxiety increases accuracy
  • lacks ecological validity
  • Loftus & Palmer showed videos which lacks generalisability to real-world