Editing Weapon focus (section)

== Weapon focus effect on children ==
In light of research recommendations, some more recent research has looked into the individual differences surrounding the weapon focus phenomenon, where not all samples of participants have reacted in the same way to the presence of a weapon, namely children. In some situations, like domestic violence, children can be crucial eyewitnesses, so recent research has looked at the age at which the weapon focus effect becomes influential. One study looked at the impacts of a surprising object on the memory of children, using a syringe filled with red dye in place of a classic weapon.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Davies|first1=Graham M.|last2=Smith|first2=Sarah|last3=Blincoe|first3=Christine|date=2008|title=A "weapon focus" effect in children|journal=Psychology, Crime & Law|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=19–28|doi=10.1080/10683160701340593|s2cid=144119941 |issn=1068-316X}}</ref> The presence of the syringe caused a reduction in performance on a memory task, suggesting that the children diverted a significant proportion of their attention to the weapon, so that their recall ability was negatively impacted. This implies that the weapon focus effect does not exclusively occur in adults. At a similar time, Pickel et al. (2008) conducted comparable research, which used videos containing either a weapon or neutral object.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pickel|first1=Kerri L.|last2=Narter|first2=Dana B.|last3=Jameson|first3=Molly M.|last4=Lenhardt|first4=Thomas T.|date=2008|title=The weapon focus effect in child eyewitnesses|journal=Psychology, Crime & Law|language=en|volume=14|issue=1|pages=61–72|doi=10.1080/10683160701391307|s2cid=145480606 |issn=1068-316X}}</ref> Again, children recalled significantly less accurate information when a knife was involved as opposed to a water bottle. The researchers attributed this to the unexpected nature of the knife and schema violation. Adults were found to be more accurate in general with their recollection of the perpetrator than children; language abilities, appreciation for the situation and differing locations were all implicated in these asymmetries.