Abstract
Groups of eyewitnesses to a mock crime were evaluated with Byrne’s Repression-Sensitization Scale and exposed to an episode that was neutral or stressful. In testing for recall of the perpetrator’s features, repressors and sensitizers did not differ in the control condition, but sensitizers showed recall significantly superior to that shown by repressors under stress conditions. Repressors nonetheless indicated higher confidence in their memory as eyewitnesses. The data support Byrne’s (1964) model of cognitive avoiding and cognitive approaching response styles.
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Polans, A.R. The effects of repression-sensitization classification and stress on eyewitness recall. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 23, 181–184 (1985). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329820
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329820