Lesson plan

Weapon focus

Weapon focus is the concentration on a weapon by a witness of a crime and the subsequent inability to accurately remember other details of the crime. Weapon focus is a factor that heavily affects the reliability of eyewitness testimony. This effect involves a witness to a crime diverting their attention to the weapon the perpetrator is holding, thus causing memory impairments and leaving less attention for other details in the scene, such as the attacker's face, clothing or vehicle. Several studies support the notion of weapon focus, particularly in terms of greater attention paid to the weapon and its effects on recognition and recall. Elizabeth Loftus, Yuille and Burns have all been associated with studies showing the existence of a weapon focus effect.

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Article summary

Weapon focus is the concentration on a weapon by a witness of a crime and the subsequent inability to accurately remember other details of the crime. Weapon focus is a factor that heavily affects the reliability of eyewitness testimony. This effect involves a witness to a crime diverting their attention to the weapon the perpetrator is holding, thus causing memory impairments and leaving less attention for other details in the scene, such as the attacker's face, clothing or vehicle. Several studies support the notion of weapon focus, particularly in terms of greater attention paid to the weapon and its effects on recognition and recall. Elizabeth Loftus, Yuille and Burns have all been associated with studies showing the existence of a weapon focus effect.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.