NCJ Number
215572
Journal
Legal and Criminological Psychology Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 313-325
Date Published
September 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
In an attempt to extend the scope of previous research and increase ecological validity, this study examined the effects of emotional arousal and weapon presence on the memory performance of experienced police officers.
Abstract
Results indicate that police officers' recall performance can be affected both qualitatively and quantitatively by witnessing an arousing event such as a shooting. Crimes involving serious violence and firearms are becoming more prevalent in modern society. Yet, little research has been conducted with the population most prone to witnessing such events, police officers. This study examined 70 experienced police officers with either a shooting or a domestic dispute scenario containing no weapons to determine the effects of arousal and weapon presence on the memories of these officers. It was predicted that, due to the difference in threat level and type of response required of officers, witnessing a "shoot" scenario would induce greater emotional arousal than would witnessing a "no shoot" scenario. In addition, it predicted that participants involved in the "shoot" scenario would be less accurate when attempting to recall, and identify, the perpetrator than those involved in the "no shoot" scenario. Participants were found to recall fewer details when the event was an arousing incident involving a shooting. However, the accuracy of recall for this event was significantly higher than that for a less arousing domestic dispute incident. This pattern of results is consistent with findings from existing studies. References