Factors effecting EWT - Anxiety

• What is the focus of Lesson 8 in the study material?


  Factors affecting eye-witness testimony: Anxiety
• What key terms are associated with anxiety in eyewitness testimony?

  • Anxiety
  • Physiological Arousal
  • Weapon focus effect
  • Yerkes-Dodson/Inverted U Theory
• How is anxiety defined in the study material?

  An unpleasant emotional state often accompanied by increased heart rate and rapid breathing
• What is physiological arousal?


  It refers to the physical symptoms associated with anxiety, such as increased heart rate and rapid breathing
• What is the general effect of stress and anxiety on memory?

  Usually negative, but some argue it can be positive at times
• How does high anxiety contribute to eyewitness testimony?

  • Can lead to poor eyewitness testimony
  • May cause witnesses to focus on the weapon rather than other details
• How does low anxiety contribute to eyewitness testimony?

  • Can lead to good eyewitness testimony
  • May allow witnesses to recall more details of the event
• What is the weapon focus effect?

  An eyewitness’s concentration on a weapon to the exclusion of other details of a crime
• What did Johnson & Scott's (1976) study investigate?

  The effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony using a knife and pen scenario
• What were the two conditions in Johnson & Scott's study?


  Participants either saw a man with a pen or a knife
• What was the accuracy of identification in the pen condition of Johnson & Scott's study?

  49% accuracy
• What was the accuracy of identification in the knife condition of Johnson & Scott's study?

  33% accuracy
• What does Johnson & Scott's study suggest about the weapon focus effect?

  Participants focused more on the knife than the man, indicating a negative effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony
• What is a criticism of Johnson & Scott's study regarding ecological validity?

  • Lacks ecological validity as it may not reflect real-life cases
  • Participants may have anticipated something happening, affecting their judgments
• What ethical issues were raised in Johnson & Scott's study?

  • Participants were deceived about the nature of the experiment
  • Not protected from harm, as some were exposed to a bloodied knife
• What should researchers do to alleviate anxiety caused by studies like Johnson & Scott's?

  Offer a debrief and therapy/counseling where required
• How does anxiety have a positive effect on eyewitness testimony according to Christianson & Hubinette?

  • High anxiety leads to more accurate memories
  • Study involved real witnesses to bank robberies with over 75% accurate recall
• How many witnesses did Christianson & Hubinette question in their study?

  58 witnesses
• What did Christianson & Hubinette conclude about high anxiety and memory recall?

  High anxiety creates more enduring and accurate memories
• What is a counter-argument to Christianson & Hubinette's findings?

  • Individual differences affect responses to anxiety
  • Proximity may not always increase anxiety levels
• What did Yuille & Cutshall's study contradict?

  • The weapon focus effect
  • Found that high anxiety led to high accuracy in recall
• What was the setting of Yuille & Cutshall's study?

  A real-life shooting in a gun shop in Vancouver, Canada
• What did Yuille & Cutshall find regarding the accuracy of witnesses after 5 months?

  Little change in the amount of accuracy; stayed high
• What percentage of accuracy did witnesses with high anxiety report in Yuille & Cutshall's study?

  88% accuracy
• What percentage of accuracy did witnesses with low anxiety report in Yuille & Cutshall's study?

  75% accuracy
• What limitation did Yuille & Cutshall's study have regarding extraneous variables?


  • Researchers had no control over events that happened to participants after the incident
  • Post-event discussions could affect recall accuracy
• What did Defenbacher's meta-analysis reveal about anxiety and eyewitness memory?

  • 10 studies linked higher arousal to increased accuracy
  • 11 studies linked higher arousal to decreased accuracy
• What does the Yerkes-Dodson effect suggest about anxiety and performance?

  Some level of arousal can be beneficial, but too much anxiety negatively affects performance
• What does the inverted U-shaped graph represent in the context of anxiety and eyewitness testimony?

  • There is an optimal level of anxiety for enhanced eyewitness testimony
  • Moderate physiological arousal can enhance memory recall
• How might a witness's proximity to a crime scene affect their anxiety and recall?

  Closer proximity may increase anxiety, potentially affecting recall accuracy
• What factors should be discussed in an essay about eyewitness testimony?

  • Leading questions
  • Anxiety
  • Post-event discussion
• What is the total mark allocation for the group essay on eyewitness testimony?

  16 marks
• What are the components of the mark allocation for the group essay?

  AO1 = 6, AO2 = 4, AO3 = 6
• How can Zina's experience of anxiety affect her eyewitness testimony?

  High anxiety may decrease the accuracy of her testimony compared to someone less anxious
• What research supports the negative effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony?


  • Johnson and Scott's study
  • Loftus's research on weapon focus effect
• What research supports the positive effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony?

  • Christianson and Hubinette's study
  • Yuille and Cutshall's findings
• What research highlights the inconsistency in the effects of anxiety on eyewitness testimony?

  • Defenbacher's meta-analysis
  • Yerkes-Dodson effect