Memory

Which of the following statements regarding the acquisition phase of eyewitness memory is considered incorrect?

MCQ

MCQ Answer

A. The 'weapons focus' phenomenon only occurs when a gun is present.
B. The type of crime has no impact on witness memory during acquisition.
C. Violence leads to better witness accuracy in both experimental and real-life studies.
D. All of the above are incorrect. Correct

Explanation

All three statements provided are false. Research indicates that high-stress, violent situations often impair rather than improve memory accuracy. The 'weapons focus' effect is not limited to guns but applies to any attention-grabbing object that diverts focus from the perpetrator. Furthermore, the nature of the crime significantly influences how a witness encodes information. Since all options are factually incorrect, 'All of the above' is the correct choice.

Correct Answer

All of the above are incorrect.