Stanny and Johnson's "weapons focus" experiment, investigating memory for crime scenes, found that
A) the presence of a weapon enhances memory for all parts of the event.
B) the presence of a weapon has no effect on memory for the event.
C) the threat of a weapon causes people to focus their attention away from the weapon itself.
D) the presence of a weapon hinders memory for other parts of the event.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Stanny and Johnson's "weapons focus" experiment found that the presence of a weapon hindered memory for other parts of the event. Participants were less accurate in identifying key details of the crime scene when a weapon was present compared to when no weapon was present. This effect is thought to be due to the heightened emotional arousal and distraction caused by the presence of a weapon.

Stanny and Johnson's "Weapons Focus" Experiment, Investigating Memory for Crime