Eyewitness Testimony :
Anxiety
Johnson and Scott ( 19767
Anxiety has a
negative effect
Procedure
participants sat in a
waiting room believing they were
going to take
part in a lab study .
low waiting
•
anxiety condition heard conversation
participants a casual and then saw a man walk
through the
-
room with on his hands
carrying a
pen grease
•
high anxiety condition a heated argument was accompanied by the sound
of breaking glass A man then
-
.
'
walked covered
'
through the room
holding a knife in blood .
weapon focus
to the 50
participants were rater asked pick man
from a set of photographs
Findings and conclusion
49%
of participants in the low anxiety condition and 33% of high anxiety condition participants were
- -
Able to identify the man
the tunnel
for
'
theory of memory argues that people have enhanced memory central events .
weapon
'
as result can have effect
focus a
of anxiety this .
Yuille and Cutshall ( 1986) Anxiety has a
positive effect
Procedure
In an actual shot dead there were 21 witnesses 13 to
crime a
gun shop owner a
theif agreed participate
- .
,
in the study .
Participants winter viewed 4- 5 months
were
after the incident .
The
information recalled was compared to
the
police interviewers at the time
of the shooting .
Witnesses how stressed at the twine the incident
rated
they felt of
.
Findings and conclusions
witnesses were accurate little 5
very in what
they recalled and there was
change after months
some details were less accurate ceg :
height
participants who reported the
highest level stress were most accurate ( about 88% compared
of
to 751
for
the less stressed
group)
.
Anxiety doesn't appear to reduce the
accuracy of EWT
for
a real -
world event Ana
may even
enhance it .
Explaining the contradictory findings
1. Inverted -
U theory
Yerkes and Dodson C. 19087 argue the relationship between and in
that
performance stress an
inverted V.
Anxiety
Johnson and Scott ( 19767
Anxiety has a
negative effect
Procedure
participants sat in a
waiting room believing they were
going to take
part in a lab study .
low waiting
•
anxiety condition heard conversation
participants a casual and then saw a man walk
through the
-
room with on his hands
carrying a
pen grease
•
high anxiety condition a heated argument was accompanied by the sound
of breaking glass A man then
-
.
'
walked covered
'
through the room
holding a knife in blood .
weapon focus
to the 50
participants were rater asked pick man
from a set of photographs
Findings and conclusion
49%
of participants in the low anxiety condition and 33% of high anxiety condition participants were
- -
Able to identify the man
the tunnel
for
'
theory of memory argues that people have enhanced memory central events .
weapon
'
as result can have effect
focus a
of anxiety this .
Yuille and Cutshall ( 1986) Anxiety has a
positive effect
Procedure
In an actual shot dead there were 21 witnesses 13 to
crime a
gun shop owner a
theif agreed participate
- .
,
in the study .
Participants winter viewed 4- 5 months
were
after the incident .
The
information recalled was compared to
the
police interviewers at the time
of the shooting .
Witnesses how stressed at the twine the incident
rated
they felt of
.
Findings and conclusions
witnesses were accurate little 5
very in what
they recalled and there was
change after months
some details were less accurate ceg :
height
participants who reported the
highest level stress were most accurate ( about 88% compared
of
to 751
for
the less stressed
group)
.
Anxiety doesn't appear to reduce the
accuracy of EWT
for
a real -
world event Ana
may even
enhance it .
Explaining the contradictory findings
1. Inverted -
U theory
Yerkes and Dodson C. 19087 argue the relationship between and in
that
performance stress an
inverted V.
