Cognitive Interview Flashcards
1
Q
Aims of the cognitive interview
A
- Improve the effectiveness of interviewers when questioning witnesses
- Apply the results of psychological research which showed that memory is not like a video camera, but an active process
2
Q
What are the 4 main techniques used in the cognitive interview
A
- Report everything: Witnesses might not realise that some details are important and details might help them recall significant information
- Reinstate the context: Recalling how you felt and the context enhance recall (these details act as cues to recall)
- Recall from changed perspective: Encourage many retrieval paths
- Recall in reverse orders: When events are recalled in forwards order, witnesses tend to base their structure based on their schemas. If the order is changed, they are more accurate
3
Q
Research support- Geiselman et al (1988)
A
- Trainee police officers were shown a police training video of crimes. Two days later, they were interviewed by an experienced investigator, either by the standard method or cognitive interview
- Significantly more information was retrieved with the cognitive interview, without as much mistakes compared to the regular method
- This suggests the cognitive interview is a better type of interview to use as it yields more information as well as the recall being more accurate
4
Q
Research support- fisher et al (1989)
A
- The researchers trained Florida police in the use of the cognitive interview, and compared their interview performance before and after training
- After training, the detective gained as much as 47% more useful information
5
Q
Research against- khonken et al (1999)
A
- He carried out a meta-analysis of 53 studies
- While they found an increase of 81% of correct information, they also found there to be a 61% increase of incorrect information when compared to a standard interview
- The techniques of CI aim to increase the amount of correct information recalled, but the recall of incorrect information may also be increased
6
Q
Evaluation of CI
A
- Time consuming
- Specialist training required
- Inaccurate information can also be gathered
- Not all techniques are suitable for children e.g changed perspective