Impact of anxiety and life stress upon eyewitness testimony

Abstract

Eighty-four subjects participated in a study designed to explore the relationship between the psychological state of a witness and the witness’s ability to accurately perceive and recall a complex incident. It was found that persons who are anxious and preoccupied, as measured by standard tests, performed more poorly on a test measuring eyewitness accuracy. © 1978, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.