cognitive interview Flashcards
what did typical police interviews involve?
- leading questions
- interruptions
- interviewer dominating interview
- standardised list of questions
- asking questions out of sequence
- if witness did not provide correct details, interviewer did little to assist, meaning they sat passively waiting
- police officer dominated
what was the purpose of the cognitive interview?
maximise accuracy of information obtained during eye witness interviews without compromising accuracy
what memory models explain poor recall during cognitive interview?
- multi store
- working
- reconstructive
- tulving long term
multi store memory model;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- attention isn’t paid to the event it may never encode in the short-term memory
- Can be displaced in STM by other things
- Length between crime and interview may lead to decay
- If not rehearsed may lead to decay in long-term memory
working memory model;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- too many things for the central executive to focus on
eg too many visuals that displace each other before going to LTM
tulving;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- Not being interviewed at scene of crime may reduce what is remembered due to lack of cues to trigger episodic memories
- Episodic memories are less resilient than semantic and so may be forgotten
reconstructive memory;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
Everyone’s schemas are different
What are the 4 main elements of a cognitive interview?
- contextual reinstatement
- recall every detail
- recall in different order
- recall from different perspectives
describe contextual reinstatement
- Witness is asked to form image of the event in their mind and to retell the event
- Asking about objects and smells in the environment uses Tulving’s theory of cues from the environment to prompt the witness into remembering other details
- episodic memories are context dependent so creates context cues
describe recalling every detail
- encouraged to recall everything about the event even if they think it is unimportant
- unimportant detail may trigger key information that the witness had previously gotten wrong or forgotten
- not interrupted
- prevents simplification and using schemas to create a story
describe recalling in different order
- asked to recall the event from different points
- working backwards or starting from a particular detail previously mentioned
- Geiselman and Callot (1990) found that working backwards was more effective than working from the start twice
- prevents influence of schemas causing them to create a story that makes sense to them
describe recalling from different perspectives
- include the offender or another witness in a different position
- however this could lead to the witnesses making up what they think another person might have seen
3 other elements which are important to consider in a cognitive interview
- open questions
- no leading questions
- focused questions only on things the witness has mentioned to get more detail
How does the enhanced cognitive interview differ from the original?
- includes ways of improving communication between the interviewer and the interviewee
- Avoiding distractions
- gaps between questions
who developed the cognitive interview?
geiselman
how long does it take to train police on memory?
3-4 hours
describe the introduction stage
- establishes appropriate psychological states and interpersonal dynamics
- promotes efficient memory and communication
- develop rapport between interviewer and witness
describe open ended narration
free recall
describe probing for details
cognitive reinstatement, reverse order, different perspective
describe the review
interviewer checks details to make sure they understand
describe closing the interview
EW aware they may be contacted for further information
what is the funnel effect?
start with broad questions and then narrow to details
what is the rapport?
establishes a relationship between the interviewer and witness so that there is trust which is key to obtain necessary information
where is a cognitive interview carried out?
private, quiet and controlled environment
why is a tape/video recorder used?
- analyse in case info is missed
- check inconsistencies
- observe body language
- hidden/unobtrusive
why is a one way mirror used?
observed without feeling pressured or producing demand characteristics
how long is the average cognitive interview?
60-90 mins
how many interviewers should conduct an interview?
2
- in case information is missed
why is it an issue that CI takes longer than a usual police interview?
slows down investigation / identification of suspect
weakness of CI (gen)
- children under 8 unsuitable
- find it too complicated
- lacks generalisability
weakness of CI (training)
- requires skill and training
- needs to be done by someone who practises regularly so that open questioning becomes automatic
describe the enhanced cognitive interview
- fisher
- includes more social aspects
- minimises distractions
- allows pauses between response and question
- tailor language to suit the witness
strength of cog interview (supporting evidence from Geiselman)
- 51 ppts viewed video of violent crime
- interviewed using either CI, LA police interview or hypnosis
- CI recalled facts = 41.2 compared to 29.4 in standard interview
strength of cog interview (supporting evidence from Fisher 1989)
- trained police in florida
- gained 47% more valuable info from witnesses to real crimes compared to when they had used standard techniques
weakness of cog interview (rejecting evidence from Geiselman and Fisher)
- uneffective if used a long time after crime has taken place
- limits usefulness if it takes too long
weakness of cog interview with CA from Holliday 2003
not suitable for children under 8, limits generalisability
- however holliday found that CI provided more correct details after 5-9 year olds watched a video of a childs birthday party
