Johnson and Scott 1979- Effect of anxiety on eye witness testimony
Storyboard Text
- JOHNSON AND SCOTT 1979
- Independent groups design
- Receptionist went to run an errand
- Why are they holding a pen and why does his hands have grease?
- THE "NO WEAPON" CONDITION
- There's been a failure with some of the equipment
- "WEAPON" CONDITION
- Heated conversation
- Johnson and Scottinvited participants to a laboratory where they were told to wait in the reception area. A receptionist who was seated nearby excused herself to run an errand, leaving the participant alone. The experiment used anindependent groups design
- Identify who committed the crime. The suspect may or not be in the 50 photographs.
- In the ‘no-weapon’ condition, participants overheard a conversation in the laboratory about equipment failure. Thereafter an individual (the target) left the laboratory and walk passed the participant holding a pen, with his hands covered in grease
- Participants in condition 1 payed more attention to the face of the target than the weapon.
- Only correctly identified target 49 % of the time
- In the ‘weapon’ condition, participants overheard a heated exchange and the sound of breaking glass and crashing chairs. This was followed by the target running into the reception area, holding a bloodied letter opener.
- Lotfus said that participants in condition 2 had HIGHER LEVELS of ANXIETY than those in condition 1
- Only identified the target 33% of the time
- Both groups were then shown 50 photographs and ask to identify the person who had left the laboratory. The participants were informed that the suspect may, or may not be present in the photographs.
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- Demonstration of where the weapon effect does not apply as the participants were more so focused o the face of the target rather than the weapon so had greater accuracy for an eye witness testimony .
- Therefore, the anxiety associated with seeing a knife reduces the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
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