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Four (and a Half) Preregistered Failures to Replicate the Weapon Focus Effect in Online Samples
John T West1, Neil W Mulligan2, Brian H Bornstein2
1Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
Summary
The Weapon Focus Effect (WFE), where witnesses remember armed suspects less clearly, was not replicated in five experiments. Results suggest the WFE may not be reliable or depends heavily on study methods.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Eyewitness Testimony Research
Background:
- The Weapon Focus Effect (WFE) posits that weapon presence impairs witness memory.
- This effect is widely believed to impact eyewitness identification accuracy in legal contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the replicability of the Weapon Focus Effect (WFE).
- To identify potential moderators influencing the WFE, such as presentation modality and sample type.
Main Methods:
- Conducted five pre-registered experiments (N=1,316) using prior WFE study materials.
- Varied presentation modality (video/slides), audio presence, weapon type, perpetrator gender, and participant sample (student/non-student).
- Utilized target description and lineup identification tasks, analyzed with random effects meta-analyses.
Main Results:
- No significant WFE was found for target description or lineup identification across experiments.
- Some experiments yielded significant anti-WFEs, indicating better memory for armed perpetrators.
- Meta-analyses confirmed a nonsignificant overall effect of weapon presence on memory outcomes.
Conclusions:
- The replicability of the Weapon Focus Effect (WFE) is questionable.
- The WFE may be highly dependent on specific methodological factors, such as study presentation modality.
