Discuss anxiety as a factor that influence the accuracy of EWT (12 marks)

The Yerkes-Dodson Law, formulated by Harvard researchers Robert M.Yerkes and John D. Dodson in 1908, says that as stress increases, so do efficiency and performance, but only up to a certain point. When stress becomes too great, performance and efficiency tend to decline, the researchers discovered.
Research has found that different tasks require different levels of arousal for optimal performance. For example, difficult or intellectually demanding tasks may require a lower level of arousal (to facilitate concentration), whereas tasks demanding stamina or persistence may be performed better with higher levels of arousal (to increase motivation). In 1986 a study was conducted by Yuile and Cutshall where they assessed the level of arousal and accuracy of testimonies from 13 witnesses to robberies or murders. One general finding was that witnesses reporting higher levels of arousal recalled fewer facts correctly than those with lower levels, although those with very high arousal levels were better than those with moderate levels. These findings do seem to support the Yerkes-Dodson law, but they could also be explained by the relationship with proximity to the crime: those who are closest will be most stressed but will also have the best view. The study carried out by Yuille and Cutshall showed that witnesses of a real life incident (a gun shooting outside a gun shop in Canada) had remarkable accurate memories of a stressful event involving weapons. A thief stole guns and money, but was shot six times and died. The police interviewed witnesses, and thirteen of them were re-interviewed five months later. Recall was