Cognitive Interview Flashcards
What is the ‘cognitive interview’?
The cognitive interview developed by Fisher and Geiselman, 1992, is an interview process that is structured around 4 key components. It is a technique used by the police to increase the accuracy of EWT.
What are the 4 key components of the cognitive interview?
- Recall Everything
- Mental reinstatement of original context
- Change Order
- Change Perspective
Why might the police ask the witness to ‘recall everything’?
By recalling everything, even what may seem trivial, gives the witness the opportunity, in their own time, to try to recall the event in detail. It allows the witness to offer a lot of information.
What do we mean by ‘Mental reinstatement of original context’?
The interviewer might ask the witness to recall discrete details of the event, the day of the event and the environment in order to place them back at the scene which may trigger memories and add clarity to the information that they can recall. The interviewer might ask about the sounds, sights, feelings involved in activities during that day, exploring all senses.
Why might the interviewer ‘Change the order’?
People tend to remember the most recent things better so witnesses can be encourage to work backwards as this may help to recall information. It also helps to reduce the impact of witness prior knowledge or expectations of what ‘might’ have happened.
What is meant by ‘Change the perspective’?
The witness should try to recall events from a different perspective. Trying to describe the event in terms of what the criminal, the victim or other witnesses might have seen or heard adds clarity to the description of events.
Is there any supportive evidence for the use of the cognitive interview?
Kohnken et al (1999) Meta analysis of 53 studies found that ‘on average’ the Cognitive Interview (CI) resulted in a 34% increase in the amount of correct information generated.
Milne and Bull (2002) found that when only 1 component was used participants had similar performance but when ‘Recall everything’ and ‘Mental Reinstatement’ were used there was significantly higher recall than in all other conditions.
