Anxiety has a negative recall effect
Johnson and Scott had ppt believe they entered a lab study. When in the waiting room, ppts either heard a casual conversation and then a man walk past carrying a pen with greasy hands, or a heated argument and breaking glass and then a man walking out with a knife covered in blood. Ppts had to identify the man from 50 photos. 49% in the low-anxiety condition correctly identified the man, compared to 33% in the high-anxiety condition.
Tunnel Theory argues people have enhanced memory of central events
Anxiety has a positive effect
Yuille and Cutshall conducted a study of a real shooting in Vancouver. The shop owner killed the thief. There were 21 witnesses - 13 took part and were interviewed 4-5 months after, which was compared to the police reports. Witnesses also rated their stress levels at the time of the incident and emotional problems. Witnesses were very accurate. Ppts with the highest levels of stress were most accurate. Suggests anxiety may enhance accuracy.
Explaining Contradictory Findings
Yerkes-Dodson Law explains anxiety makes physiological changes to our body. Lower levels produce low levels of accuracy, but accuracy increases with anxiety. After the optimal anxiety level, recall drastically drops