Cognitive interview

Question 1

What is a cognitive interview?

Answer 1

• A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories.

Question 2

What are the four steps of the cognitive interview?

Answer 2

1. Report everything - Witnesses are encouraged to include every single detail of the event, even if it may seem irrelevant ( trivial details may trigger other important memories).
2. Reinstate the context - The witness should return to the original crime scene in their mind and imagine their environment and their emotions.
3. Reverse the order - Events should be recalled in a different order from the original sequence, typically from end to start. This is done to prevent people from reporting their expectations of how the event must have happened rather than reporting the actual events, it also prevents dishonesty.
4. Change perspective - Witnesses should recall the incident from other people’s perspectives. This is done to disrupt the effect of expectations and also the effect of expectations and the effect of schemas on recall

Question 3

What was the Enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 3

• Fisher (1987) claimed that the social dynamics of the interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee are also important.
• It also includes ideas such as:
  - Reducing eyewitness anxiety
  - Minimisig distractions
  - Getting the witness to speak slowly
  - Asking open-ended questions

Question 4

(AO3) What is a strength of the Cognitive interview?

Answer 4

Support for the effectiveness of CI:

• Kohnken et al (1999) - conducted a meta-analysis, combining data from 55 studies comparing the cognitive interview with the standard police interview
• The CI gave an average 41% increase in accurate information compared with the standard interview (only 4 showed no difference)
• This shows that the CI is an effective technique in helping witnesses to recall information that is stored in the memory but not immediately accessible.

Question 5

(AO3) What is a weakness of the CI?
(1)

Answer 5

Lack of accuracy:

• Kohnken et al (1999) - also found an increase in the amount of inaccurate information recalled by the participants, which was particularly an issue with the ECI.
• CI’s may sacrifice the accuracy of eyewitness testimony in favor of the amount of details.
• This means that police officers should treat eyewitness evidence from CI’s with caution.

Question 6

(AO3) What is a weakness of the CI?
(2)

Answer 6

Time consuming:

• More time is needed to establish a rapport with the witnesses and allow them to relax.
• The CI also requires special training and many forces do not have the resources to provide more than a few hours.
• This suggests that the CI is not a realist method for police officers to use and it might be better to focus on just a few key elements.