What is weapon focus effect in psychology?

Weapon Focus. This refers to an eyewitness’s concentration on a weapon to the exclusion of other details of a crime. In a crime where a weapon is involved, it is not unusual for a witness to be able to describe the weapon in much more detail than the person holding it.

What is the weapons focus effect?

This meta-analytic review examined 19 tests of the weapon focus effect—the hypothesis that the presence of a weapon during commission of a crime will negatively affect an eyewitness’s ability to later identify the perpetrator. Research shows that eyewitness testimony can have a strong impact on juries (Loftus, 1974).

Why does the weapon focus effect happen?

The weapon focus effect (WFE) occurs when a weapon distracts eyewitnesses, harming memory for the perpetrator and other details. One explanation is that weapons are unusual in most contexts, and unusual objects distract eyewitnesses.

What factors affect eyewitness testimony?

This is, in large part, because there are numerous factors that may affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.

• Memory reconstruction.
• Lineup issues.
• Visual characteristics.
• Anxiety and stress.
• Obtaining legal representation.

How does weapon focus affect the memory of a witness?

This is something that researchers have been studying for years. One possible explanation is “weapon focus” – the cognitive phenomenon whereby if a weapon is present our attention is drawn to the weapon and away from other details of the scene, which means our memory of other details (like the face of the person holding the weapon) is reduced.

How is eyewitness testimony affected by psychological factors?

However, research into this area has found that eyewitness testimony can be affected by many psychological factors: Anxiety / Stress Reconstructive Memory Weapon Focus Leading Questions (Loftus and Palmer, 1974)

Is there any research on eyewitness memory and stress?

research in both eyewitness research and stress and memory, there is no recent comprehensive review of the effect of stress on eyewitness memory. This literature review will serve to bridge that gap and provide resources for those looking to continue research in the area of stress and eyewitness memory. iii Acknowledgements

When does the weapon focus effect take place?

About the time factor, complex research shows that the weapon focus effect occurs with or without violence per se, that if a weapon is present for the major portion of time, it competes with the other cues, pushing them to the background of eyewitness perception.