What is the primary difference between the effects of low anxiety and high anxiety on EWT accuracy according to the Yerkes-Dodson Law?

Low anxiety results in low accuracy due to a lack of alertness or attention. High anxiety also results in low accuracy because the witness becomes overwhelmed and cognitively impaired by stress.

How do laboratory studies of anxiety differ from real-life field studies in terms of their findings on EWT accuracy?

Laboratory studies often find that anxiety decreases accuracy (e.g., through weapon focus), whereas real-life field studies frequently find that witnesses to high-stress events have very accurate and long-lasting memories.

When comparing 'threat' and 'surprise' as causes for the weapon focus effect, what does research suggest?

Research suggests that the effect may be due to the unusualness or surprise of the object rather than just the threat it poses, as accuracy also drops when witnesses see unexpected but non-threatening objects.

What is a common misconception regarding the impact of anxiety on memory accuracy?

A common misconception is that anxiety always has a negative impact on memory. In reality, moderate levels of anxiety can improve alertness and lead to more accurate recall than very low levels of stress.

Why is it a mistake to rely solely on laboratory experiments to understand the role of anxiety in EWT?

Lab experiments lack ecological validity and cannot ethically induce the same level of intense, life-threatening anxiety found in real crimes, which may trigger different physiological and memory processes.

What error occurs when researchers fail to account for post-event discussion in real-life EWT studies?

They may incorrectly attribute high accuracy to the witness's anxiety at the time of the event, when the accuracy might actually be due to the witness repeating and refining their story with others after the fact.

Define the 'Weapon Focus Effect' in the context of eyewitness testimony.

It is the tendency for a witness to fixate their attention on a weapon during a crime, which leads to poorer recall of other details like the perpetrator's face or the surrounding environment.

What is the 'Inverted-U Theory'?

Also known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law, it is the principle that performance increases with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a certain point, after which performance declines.

What is meant by 'Ecological Validity' in EWT research?

It refers to the extent to which the findings of a research study can be generalized to real-life settings. Lab studies often have low ecological validity compared to field studies of real crimes.

Why might adrenaline release during a high-anxiety event actually improve a witness's memory?

Adrenaline triggers the 'fight or flight' response, which puts the body in a state of high alertness and may enhance the encoding of significant or life-threatening information for survival purposes.

Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony: Anxiety | AQA AS-Level Psychology

Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony: Anxiety

Summary

The relationship between anxiety and the accuracy of eyewitness testimony (EWT) is complex, characterized by both inhibitory and facilitatory effects. While high levels of anxiety can lead to phenomena like the weapon focus effect, moderate levels may actually enhance recall through increased physiological alertness. This interaction is best explained by the Yerkes-Dodson Law, which posits an inverted-U relationship between emotional arousal and cognitive performance.

1. Definition & Core Concepts

Anxiety in a forensic context refers to a state of emotional and physical arousal characterized by feelings of tension, apprehension, and physiological changes such as increased heart rate.
It is a multi-faceted construct involving both cognitive components (worry and intrusive thoughts) and somatic components (physical sensations of stress).
In Eyewitness Testimony (EWT), researchers investigate whether this state of arousal hinders a witness's ability to encode and retrieve details of a crime or if it sharpens their focus.

2. The Yerkes-Dodson Law

The Yerkes-Dodson Law (or Inverted-U Theory) suggests that performance on complex tasks, such as recalling a crime, improves with physiological or mental arousal, but only up to a certain point.
When levels of anxiety are too low, the witness may not be sufficiently alert to take in details; when anxiety is too high, the cognitive load becomes overwhelming, leading to memory impairment.
The Optimal Point represents the level of arousal where the accuracy of EWT is at its maximum; beyond this threshold, any further increase in anxiety causes a sharp decline in recall quality.
This model helps reconcile contradictory research findings where some studies show anxiety helps memory while others show it hurts it.

The Yerkes-Dodson Law showing an inverted-U curve where EWT accuracy peaks at moderate arousal.

3. The Weapon Focus Effect

The Weapon Focus Effect (WFE) occurs when the presence of a weapon draws the witness's attention away from other peripheral details, such as the perpetrator's facial features or clothing.
This phenomenon is driven by the high anxiety and fear associated with the weapon, causing a narrowing of the attentional field (tunnel vision).
Research suggests that the witness fixates on the source of the threat as a survival mechanism, which significantly reduces the accuracy of subsequent identifications in a lineup.

4. Positive Effects of Anxiety

5. Key Distinctions: Lab vs. Real-Life Research

6. Exam Strategy & Tips