Eyewitness Testimony - Age & Anxiety
Psychology: AQA A Level, topic 2.1.16
Valentine and Coxon (1997) - Effect of Age on EWT
Research aim: To investigate the effect of age on eyewitness testimony and the effects of leading questions.
Procedure
- Laboratory experiment.
- Three groups of participants:
- Children (7-9 years);
- Young adults (16-18);
- Elderly (60-85).
- Participants watched a video of a kidnapping and were then asked a series of leading and non-leading questions.
Results & conclusions
- Results:
- Both the elderly and children gave more incorrect answers to non-leading questions. However, children were more likely to be misled by leading questions.
- Conclusion:
- This shows that children are more susceptible to the influence of leading questions and therefore do not make reliable eyewitnesses. The elderly and children are more likely to have poorer memories for events than young adults. This shows that age does influence the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
Evaluation
- Strengths
- Reliable – easy to replicate.
- Practical implications for the use of children as witnesses.
- Limitations
- Lacks ecological validity – not real life.
- Ethics – showing a crime video to young children.
Anxiety Not Affecting EWT
Yuille and Cutshall (1986) conducted a field study of a real-life crime, where a shop keeper had shot dead a thief. They aimed to investigate the effect of anxiety on memory recall.
Procedure
- There were 21 witnesses to the event and 13 agreed to take part in the study.
- They were interviewed 4-5 months after the original interviews. The researchers compared their recollections to their original police interviews.
- Witnesses were also asked to rate their level of stress at the time on a 7-point scale and if they had suffered any emotional issues since the event, such as insomnia.
Results & conclusions
- Results:
- The levels of accuracy were high and, in fact, the more stressed group were more accurate (85%) than the less stressed group (75%).
- Conclusion:
- This showed that stress and anxiety can actually improve eyewitness testimony.
Evaluation
- Strengths
- Real life – ecological validity.
- Practical applications.
- Limitations
- Lack of control.
- Participants could have collaborated with others or rehearsed their memories of the event.
- Individual differences were not accounted for.
- Not reliable, as cannot be replicated (unique event).
Test yourself on Eyewitness Testimony - Age & Anxiety
Who were the participants in Valentine and Coxon's (1997) study on eyewitness testimony?
Which of these are true of Valentine and Coxon's 1997 study on eyewitness testimony?
What were the results of Yuille and Cutshall's (1986) study on eyewitness testimony?
What did Yuille and Cutshall's (1986) study suggest about eyewitness testimony?