anxiety

• unusualness, not anxiety

  P: limitation - study tested unusualness, not anxiety

  E: The researcher conducted an experiment with a handgun, raw chicken, scissors, and wallet in a hairdressing salon

  E: EWT poorer in high unusualness situations

  L: therefore weapon focus effect due to unusualness, not anxiety
• support for negative effects

  P: strength - evidence for negative effects of anxiety

  E: The researcher used heart rate to divide ppts into high and low-anxiety groups

  E: anxiety disrupted the ability to recall details about actor in London Dungeons

  L: therefore therefore anxiety can have a negative effect
• support for positive effects

  P: strength - support for positive effects of anxiety

  E: 58 witnesses to a bank robbery were interviewed

  E: 75% of all ppts were accurate in their recall

  L: therefore anxiety can have a positive effect on anxiety
• counterpoint

  P: limitation - lack of control

  E: ppts were interviewed several months after the incident happened

  E: confounding variables such as post-event discussions may have overwhelmed effects of anxiety

  L: therefore lack of control over confounding variables may have invalidated findings