Cognitive interview and ethical interview techniques Flashcards
define cognitive interview
method of interviewing eye-witnesses
what is the aim of cognitive interviews ?
to help witnesses produce more accurate recall of a crime scene - using techniques based on psychological research
define ethical interview
method of interviewing suspects
what does ethical interviewing acknowledge ?
that suspects are human beings
what is the aim of ethical interviews ?
aim is that suspects are more likely to cooperate with polices if rapport is established and they are treated with respect
what are the four steps within Cognitive interviewing ?
- Report Everything
- Reinstate the Context
- Reverse the Order
- Change the Perspective
what is ‘report everything’ ?
interviewer asks witness to recall every detail they can remember, even if it seems insignificant - they might have more meaning than the witnesses realises
what is ‘reinstate context’ ?
interviewer gets witness to imagine all aspects of the context of the crime scene and the crime itself - as context cues may ‘trigger off’ recall of additional information
what is ‘reverse the order’ ?
interviewer gets the witness to recall the event in a different order (backwards or from the middle of the event) - makes the witness really think about what happened and not rely on their schema to reconstruct their memory
what is ‘change the perspective’ ?
interviewer asks the witness to consider what another witness/the victim/perpetrator saw - reduces reliance on the schema
what is the enhanced cognitive interview ?
a more enhanced version of the cognitive interview that focusses on the interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee
give four points from the enhanced cognitive interview technique
- maintain eye contact
- reduce distractions
- ask open-ended questions
- encourage witness to take their time/do not rush
what did a report by the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice state in 1991 ?
- concluded that many false confessions and miscarriages of justice were the result of police using unethical interview techniques during questioning
- cited that the police would make threats, false promises and use physical force
when was the peace model developed ?
the early 1990s
who collaborated in the peace model ?
collaboration between law enforcement agencies and psychologists in England and Wales
what idea is the peace model based on ?
the idea that suspects are more likely to cooperate with the police, and hence give true confessions, if they feel relaxed, secure and not threatened
what are the five principles of the peace model ?
- Preparation and planning
- Engage and explain
- Account, clarification, challenge
- Closure
- Evaluate
what is ‘preparation and planning’ ?
identifying the key objectives of the interview
what is ‘engage and explain’ ?
interviewer actively listens to promote rapport with suspect
what is ‘account, clarification, challenge’ ?
interviewer uses open-ended questions to elicit information
what is ‘closure’ ?
interviewer gives suspect a chance to ask questions
what is ‘evaluate’ ?
reflecting on the interviewer’s performance
why are all interviews that adopt the PEACE model recorded ?
in order to maintain transparency, and to ensure that guidelines for proper police conduct are being adhered to
what did Memon et al. (1997) find ?
children find some aspects of the Cognitive Interview difficult, e.g. ‘changing perspective’
what did Memon et al. (2010) find ?
older adults are more reliable than younger adults, when Cognitive Interview is used.
what was the APRC of Geiselman et al. (1985) ?
AIM - measure the effectiveness of the Cognitive Interview
PROCEDURE - investigated the LA police, 51 student ppts watch 2 violent films, 48 hours later interviewed on details using standard or cognitive techniques
FINDINGS - C I= 41.2 correct | SI = 29.4
CONCLUSION - this suggests that CI leads to superior recall compared to alternative interview techniques
what is the supporting evidence for Cognitive Interviews ?
Geiselman et al. (1985)
what is the supporting evidence for Ethical Interviews ?
Holmberg and Christianson (2002)
what did Holmberg and Christianson (2002) do ?
carried out a study on murderers’ and sexual offenders’ experiences of police interviews and their inclination to admit or deny crimes
what did Holmberg and Christianson (2002) find ?
- found that interviews characterised by intimidation and dominance on the part of the police interviewer were most associated with denials.
- interviewers marked by respect and positive attitude towards the suspect were most associated with confessions
what does Holmberg and Christianson (2002) suggest ?
suggests that EI may result in more persuasive methods
what is the competing argument to Holmberg and Christianson (2002) ?
although EI means that police are unlikely to engage in the kinds of questionable practices, such as the wrongful arrest of Colin Stagg, some still remain wary of it.
what study supports the competing argument to Holmberg and Christianson (2002) ?
Gisli Gudjonsson (1992) argues that some EI techniques are naïve, and that the ‘social skills’ approach to questioning should not entirely replace more persuasive methods
what is a weakness of Cognitive Interviews ?
it may also lead to an increase in the recall of inaccurate information
what study supports the weakness of Cognitive interviews ?
Köhnken et al. (1999) recorded an 81% increase in correct information using CI techniques but this was in offset by a 61% increase in incorrect information - compared with standard interview techniques
what does Köhnken et al. (1999) suggest ?
suggests that the real strength of CI is that more information is produced overall but a lot of it may be inaccurate
what is the application ?
research has shown which combinations of techniques are most effective
what did Milne and Bull (2002) find ?
- observed that any of the individual elements of CI in isolation tend to be more effective in elicit accurate information than standard interview techniques
- also noted combination of report everything and context reinstatement particularly fruitful
why is Milne and Bull (2002) a strength to the application of CI ?
because it is widely acknowledged that CI is time-consuming so the police can use abridged versions of the CI in some circumstances
