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Questions and Answers
A study uses a hairdressing salon video with unusual items like a handgun and a chicken. Participants focus on these items. What is the most likely explanation for this focus, challenging the interpretation of anxiety's role in eyewitness testimony?
A study uses a hairdressing salon video with unusual items like a handgun and a chicken. Participants focus on these items. What is the most likely explanation for this focus, challenging the interpretation of anxiety's role in eyewitness testimony?
- The hairdressing setting induced a state of relaxation, making the unusual items stand out more.
- Participants have pre-existing phobias of handguns and chickens, skewing their attention.
- The unusualness of the items, not anxiety, is the primary driver of attention, confounding the results. (correct)
- Participants were specifically instructed to focus on unusual items, regardless of their emotional state.
In the London Dungeon Labyrinth study, researchers used heart rate as an objective measure to divide participants into groups. What does this methodological choice primarily aim to address?
In the London Dungeon Labyrinth study, researchers used heart rate as an objective measure to divide participants into groups. What does this methodological choice primarily aim to address?
- To minimize demand characteristics by concealing the true purpose of the study.
- To control for individual differences in baseline cognitive abilities.
- To objectively measure and categorize participants based on their anxiety levels. (correct)
- To ensure a representative sample of the general population.
Christansson and Hübinette's study of bank robberies found that witnesses directly involved (and assumedly more anxious) had more accurate recall. What is a significant limitation of this study that could undermine its conclusions?
Christansson and Hübinette's study of bank robberies found that witnesses directly involved (and assumedly more anxious) had more accurate recall. What is a significant limitation of this study that could undermine its conclusions?
- The researchers did not account for the witnesses' prior criminal history.
- The study relied on subjective reports of anxiety, potentially leading to biased data.
- The sample size was too small to draw generalizable conclusions about the effect of anxiety on memory.
- The interviews occurred months after the robberies, introducing potential confounding variables like post-event discussions. (correct)
The inverted-U theory suggests an optimal level of arousal for memory accuracy. What is a primary criticism of this theory in the context of eyewitness testimony?
The inverted-U theory suggests an optimal level of arousal for memory accuracy. What is a primary criticism of this theory in the context of eyewitness testimony?
Valentine and Mesout (2009) conducted their study in the London Dungeon's Horror Labyrinth. What key ethical consideration is most pertinent to this research setting?
Valentine and Mesout (2009) conducted their study in the London Dungeon's Horror Labyrinth. What key ethical consideration is most pertinent to this research setting?
What is a key difference between a field experiment, such as the London Dungeon study, and a laboratory experiment when investigating eyewitness testimony?
What is a key difference between a field experiment, such as the London Dungeon study, and a laboratory experiment when investigating eyewitness testimony?
In eyewitness testimony research, what is the primary concern regarding the use of leading questions?
In eyewitness testimony research, what is the primary concern regarding the use of leading questions?
A researcher wants to investigate the effect of weapon focus on eyewitness testimony accuracy. What would be the most effective control to implement in their study to isolate the effect of the weapon?
A researcher wants to investigate the effect of weapon focus on eyewitness testimony accuracy. What would be the most effective control to implement in their study to isolate the effect of the weapon?
Consider a study where participants witness a simulated crime. Some participants are told the perpetrator was apprehended, while others are told the perpetrator is still at large. How might this post-event information affect their eyewitness testimony?
Consider a study where participants witness a simulated crime. Some participants are told the perpetrator was apprehended, while others are told the perpetrator is still at large. How might this post-event information affect their eyewitness testimony?
In the context of eyewitness testimony, what is the key difference between recall and recognition?
In the context of eyewitness testimony, what is the key difference between recall and recognition?
Flashcards
Inverted-U Theory
Inverted-U Theory
Arousal leads to better recall up to a point, then it declines.
Objective Measure of Anxiety
Objective Measure of Anxiety
Objective measurement to determine anxiety levels in participant groups.
Anxiety's Positive Effect on Recall
Anxiety's Positive Effect on Recall
Accuracy of recall can improve when witnesses are directly involved in a crime, due to heightened anxiety.
Unusualness Not Anxiety
Unusualness Not Anxiety
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Real-World Crime Studies
Real-World Crime Studies
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Quasi-Experiment
Quasi-Experiment
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Ignoring Elements of Anxiety
Ignoring Elements of Anxiety
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Eyewitness Testimony
Eyewitness Testimony
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Anxiety
Anxiety
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Effect of Anxiety on EWT
Effect of Anxiety on EWT
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Study Notes
- One important component of improving eyewitness testimony is understanding what makes these effects occur
Weapon Focus
- Attending to important details in eyewitness testimony can lead to a focus on a weapon
- In a study, participants who saw a man walk past them carrying a knife and engaged in a heated argument believed the man was holding a knife covered in blood
- 49% correctly identified the man from a set of 50 photos, while 33% remembered the knife
- Tunnel theory of memory suggests weapon focus results from physical arousal within the body and can improve memory for the event
Unusualness Not Anxiety
- A limitation of Johnson and Scott's study is that it may not have tested anxiety
- Weapon focus may be due to surprise rather than fear
- Kerri Pickel (1998) found eyewitness accuracy poorer in high unusualness conditions like seeing a raw chicken in a hair salon video, suggesting unusualness, not anxiety, causes the weapon focus effect and tells nothing about anxiety's effects on EWT
Support for Negative Effects
- Evidence supports the view that anxiety negatively affects recall accuracy.
- Tim Valentine and Jan Mesout (2009) found negative effects on recall, supporting weapon focus research
- Using heart rate as an objective measure, divided participants into high- and low-anxiety groups
- Anxiety disrupted participants' ability to recall details about an actor in the London Dungeon's Labyrinth
- High anxiety negatively impacts immediate eyewitness recall
Support for Positive Effects
- Evidence suggests anxiety can positively affect recall accuracy
- Sven-Åke Christianson and Birgitta Hübinette (1993) interviewed 58 witnesses to Sweden bank robberies
- Some witnesses were directly involved, some indirectly.
- Researchers assumed direct victims would experience the most anxiety
- Recall was more than 75% accurate across all witnesses
- Most anxious direct victims were even more accurate
- Actual crimes confirm anxiety does not reduce recall accuracy but may enhance it
Counterpoint
- Christianson and Hübinette interviewed participants months after the event (four to 15 months)
- Researchers lacked control over intervening events, and anxiety's effects may have been overwhelmed
- Findings may be invalid due to uncontrolled confounding variables
Problems with Inverted-U Theory
- Inverted-U theory explains contradictory findings linking anxiety with both increased and decreased eyewitness recall
- Theory ignores anxiety's cognitive, behavioral, and emotional elements Focuses on physical arousal and assumes a relationship between emotional arousal and memory improves or declines with more arousal
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Description
The weapon focus effect in eyewitness testimony involves concentrating on a weapon during a crime, potentially due to anxiety or unusualness. Studies show that witnesses tend to focus on the weapon, sometimes misremembering or exaggerating its details. This focus can impair the ability to identify the perpetrator accurately.
