CIT

Question 1

What is CIT?

Answer 1

• A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve accurate memories using a series of four main techniques based on psychological insights into how memory works.

Question 2

how many stages are there of the cognitive interview technique?

Answer 2

4

Question 3

What are the stages of the CIT?

Answer 3

-Report Everything
-Reinstate the Context
-Reverse the Order
-Change Perspective

Question 4

What is the ‘Report Everything’ stage?

Answer 4

-Free recall
-Witnesses are encouraged to include every single detail of the event, even if it may seem irrelevant or the witness isn’t confident about it- seemingly trivial details may be important and may trigger other important memories.

Question 5

Which stage of CIT involves free recall?

Answer 5

Report Everything

Question 6

What is the first stage of the CIT?

Answer 6

Report Everything

Question 7

How does the ‘Report Everything’ stage improve EWT?

Answer 7

-by preventing leading questions being asked by interviewers.

Question 8

What is the second stage of the CIT?

Answer 8

Reinstate the context

Question 9

What happens in the ‘Reinstate the context’ stage of the CIT?

Answer 9

-The witness should return to the original crime scene ‘in their mind’ and imagine the environment and their emotions.

Question 10

Which stage involves the witness returning to the original crime scene ‘in their mind’?

Answer 10

Reinstate the Context

Question 11

How does the ‘Reinstate the context’ stage improve accuracy of EWT?

Answer 11

By preventing/reducing context dependent forgetting- encoding specificity principle states that recall is better when you try to remember information in the same location/state that you learned it in.

Question 12

What stage uses the encoding specificity principle to improve EWT?

Answer 12

Reinstate the Context

Question 13

What is the third stage of the CIT?

Answer 13

Reverse the order

Question 14

What stage involves events being recalled in a different order?

Answer 14

Reverse the order

Question 15

What happens in the‘Reverse the order’ stage of the CIT?

Answer 15

-Events are recalled in a different order from the original sequence

Question 16

How does the ‘Reverse the Order’ stage help improve EWT accuracy?

Answer 16

-prevents people reporting their expectations of how the event must have happened rather than reporting the actual events.
-prevents dishonesty- it’s harder for people to produce an untruthful account if they have to reverse it.

Question 17

What is the fourth stage of the CIT?

Answer 17

Change the perspective

Question 18

What stage involves witnesses recalling the incident from other people’s perspectives?

Answer 18

Change the perspective

Question 19

What happens in the‘Change the Perspective’ stage of the CIT?

Answer 19

-Witnesses recall the incident from other people’s perspectives- such as other witnesses, the victim etc.

Question 20

How does the ‘Change the Perspective’ stage improve accuracy of EWT?

Answer 20

-disrupts the effect of expectations and also the effect of schema on recall.

Question 21

How is the ECI different to the CIT?

Answer 21

• has more elements that focus on social dynamics of the interaction

Question 22

What does the ECI propose/have more focus on?

Answer 22

-ideas such as reducing eyewitness anxiety, minimising distractions, getting the witness to speak slowly and asking open-ended questions.

Question 23

What are the strengths of the CIT?

Answer 23

-there is research support to demonstrate its effectiveness

Question 24

What are the limitations of the CIT?

Answer 24

-more time consuming
-some stages may be more effective than others

Question 25

Explain the research support for the cognitive interview technique?

Answer 25

-Kohnken (1999) conducted a meta-analysis of 55 studies and found, on average, an increase of 41% in the amount of correct information generated in the CI compared with standard interviewing techniques.
-However, Kohnken also found an increase in the amount of inaccurate information, particularly when the ECI was used.
-This shows that the Cl is an effective technique in helping witnesses to recall information.
-However, police officers should still treat ewt with caution as accuracy can vary depending on which technique is used (Cl vs ECI).

Question 26

Explain the limitation of the cognitive interview technique that some stages may be more effective than others?

Answer 26

-Milne and Bull (2002) found information reported by their participants across each of the four individual components of the Ci was greater than information reported via the standard police interview.
-However, Milne and Bull also found that when participants were interviewed using a combination of the ‘report everything’ and ‘mental reinstatement’ components of the CI, recall was significantly higher than in all other conditions.
-This shows that the CIT is effective in having witnesses recall more information.
-However, it also suggests that some stages of the CI are more effective than others.
-This casts some doubt on the credibility of the overall CI.

Question 27

Explain the limitation of the cognitive interview technique that it is time consuming?

Answer 27

-Kebbell and Wagstaff (1997) suggested that the CI requires special training but many police forces do not have the resources to provide more than a few hours.
-Also, more time is needed for a CI than an SI to establish rapport and allow those being interviewed to relax which police do not have- they have a short 48-hour window in which they can hold a suspect for questioning.
-this means that police forces may be reluctant to use it