cognitive interview Flashcards
What is the cognitive interview?
A questioning technique designed to improve eyewitness recall by using memory cues and retrieval strategies.
What psychological principle is the cognitive interview based on?
Tulving’s Encoding Specificity Principle, which states that recall is improved when cues present during encoding are also present at retrieval.
What is the purpose of mental reinstatement of context in the cognitive interview?
To provide external and internal cues that trigger memory recall.
What are the two types of context reinstatement in the cognitive interview?
1) External: Thinking about the environment at the time of the crime. 2) Internal: Thinking about emotions and feelings at the time.
Why is it important for an eyewitness to recall everything?
Small, seemingly irrelevant details may help trigger the recall of important information.
How does changing the order of recall improve eyewitness testimony?
It prevents reconstruction of events based on prior knowledge and disrupts the recency effect.
What is the purpose of changing perspective in the cognitive interview?
To reduce the effects of schemas and trigger recall from different viewpoints.
What is the Enhanced Cognitive Interview?
An improved version of the cognitive interview that includes techniques such as building rapport with witnesses to improve recall.
Why is building rapport important in the Enhanced Cognitive Interview?
It helps witnesses feel comfortable discussing intimate and distressing details, improving the accuracy of their recall.
What did Geiselman’s study find about the effectiveness of the cognitive interview?
Participants recalled an average of 41.2 correct details compared to 29.4 in the standard interview.
What did Fisher’s study on real-life robbery cases show about the cognitive interview?
Detectives trained in the cognitive interview obtained 63% more information at over 90% accuracy compared to untrained detectives.
What did Kohnken’s meta-analysis find about the cognitive interview?
While it increased correct recall, the enhanced cognitive interview also led to more errors.
What is one practical issue with the cognitive interview?
It is time-consuming and requires extensive training, making it difficult for police to use fully.
Why do some police officers struggle to use the full cognitive interview?
Limited time and resources make it difficult to conduct lengthy interviews and build rapport with witnesses.
What is one real-world limitation of the cognitive interview?
Despite its effectiveness, it is rarely used in full due to practical constraints in policing.
