MEMORY IN EVERYDAY LIFE MEMORY IN EVERYDAY LIFE Factors Affecting EWT Anxiety

Learning Objectives  To recap Loftus and Palmer’s study on EWT  To describe and evaluate one lab experiment which investigates the role of anxiety in accuracy of EWT  To describe and evaluate one real-life experiment which investigates the role of anxiety in accuracy of EWT  To discuss how anxiety levels can affect later recall of events

Test Yourself… 1. Which of the following was not a cue word in the experiment by Loftus and Palmer? a)Smashed b) Contacted c)Knocked d)Hit The correct answer is… c) Knocked

Test Yourself… 2. The DV in the first experiment was… a) Estimate of speed b) The verb ‘smashed’ c) The question about broken glass d) The film The correct answer is… a) Estimate of Speed

Test Yourself… 3. In Experiment 1, how many experimental conditions were there? a) 1 b) 3 c) 5 d) 7 The correct answer is… c) 5

Test Yourself… 5. In Experiment 2, participants were tested immediately and then asked to return for some more questions. How long afterwards was this? a) 1 day b) 3 days c) 1 week d) 2 weeks The correct answer is… c) 1 week

Test Yourself… 6. In Experiment 2, which group saw the most broken glass? a) The ‘smashed’ group b) The ‘collided’ group c)The ‘hit’ group d) The control group The correct answer is… a) The ‘smashed’ group

Test Yourself… 7. Which of the following is true? a) Experiment 1 and 2 were both repeated measures b) Experiment 1 and 2 were both independent measures c) Only Experiment 1 was repeated measures d) Only experiment 1 was independent measures The correct answer is… b) Experiment 1 and 2 were both independent measures

Test Yourself… 8. The participants in this study were: a) Children b) Students c) Teachers d) Adults The correct answer is… b) Students

Learning Objectives  To recap Loftus and Palmer’s study on EWT  To describe and evaluate one lab experiment which investigates the role of anxiety in accuracy of EWT  To describe and evaluate one field experiment which investigates the role of anxiety in accuracy of EWT  To discuss how anxiety levels can affect later recall of events

Task 1  A study looking at the effects of anxiety on EWT has been cut up!  It’s your task to put in into the right order  Remember: - Aim - Procedure - Results - Conclusions  Stick it into your notes in the right order

BUT…  How can we evaluate this research?

Yuille and Cutshall (1986)  Look at the hand-out provided  Outline the study in terms of its Aims, Procedure, Results and Conclusion SIX  Should be no more than SIX sentences in total vital  Imagine it is a 4 mark question in an exam – you only need the vital parts

Yuille and Cutshall (1986) real-life events  The aim of this study was to discover how eye-witness memory was influenced by anxiety experienced during the witnessing of real-life events.  13 witnesses of a shooting were interviewed 5 months after the crime was committed.  They had witnessed the owner of a gun-shop being wounded by a robber, and then in return the owner shooting and killing the robber.  Of the 13 participants, 7 were central witnesses and 6 peripheral witnesses. However, both were equally accurate.  In the police interviews 85% of the central witnesses were accurate, compared with 70% of the peripheral group. The accuracy remained similar and high for most of the witnesses even after 4 – 5 months and errors were relatively rare.  Anxiety can enhance the accuracy of an eye witness testimony.

Task 2  Complete the section on Yuille and Cutshall in your booklet.  What do their results tell us about anxiety and accuracy of testimony?

Strengths  Field study looking at a real incident with real witnesses. Has validity which was lacking in lab experiments.  Researchers took great care with counting details from real incident to make sure that witness testimonies did not alter what ‘really’ happened. This makes finding ‘reliable’.

Weaknesses  Unique case of only 13 witnesses – can it be generalised to other instances?  Problems with the scoring (previously discussed). However, as the accounts were found to be largely accurate, emphasising inaccuracies would not have affected the findings in this case. Turning qualitative into quantitative data can always lead to bias and inaccuracy.

How can this be interpreted in terms of EWT?

Exam Conditions!  Outline one study that has investigated the effect of anxiety on eyewitness testimony (4 marks)  You need: - Aim - Procedure - Results - Conclusion ( 1 mark for each )