Cognitive interview and ethical interview techniques

Question 1

define cognitive interview

Answer 1

method of interviewing eye-witnesses

Question 2

what is the aim of cognitive interviews ?

Answer 2

to help witnesses produce more accurate recall of a crime scene - using techniques based on psychological research

Question 3

define ethical interview

Answer 3

method of interviewing suspects

Question 4

what does ethical interviewing acknowledge ?

Answer 4

that suspects are human beings

Question 5

what is the aim of ethical interviews ?

Answer 5

aim is that suspects are more likely to cooperate with polices if rapport is established and they are treated with respect

Question 6

what are the four steps within Cognitive interviewing ?

Answer 6

1. Report Everything
2. Reinstate the Context
3. Reverse the Order
4. Change the Perspective

Question 7

what is ‘report everything’ ?

Answer 7

interviewer asks witness to recall every detail they can remember, even if it seems insignificant - they might have more meaning than the witnesses realises

Question 8

what is ‘reinstate context’ ?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

what is ‘reverse the order’ ?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

what is ‘change the perspective’ ?

Answer 10

interviewer asks the witness to consider what another witness/the victim/perpetrator saw - reduces reliance on the schema

Question 11

what is the enhanced cognitive interview ?

Answer 11

a more enhanced version of the cognitive interview that focusses on the interaction between the interviewer and the interviewee

Question 12

give four points from the enhanced cognitive interview technique

Answer 12

1. maintain eye contact
2. reduce distractions
3. ask open-ended questions
4. encourage witness to take their time/do not rush

Question 13

what did a report by the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice state in 1991 ?

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

when was the peace model developed ?

Answer 14

the early 1990s

Question 15

who collaborated in the peace model ?

Answer 15

collaboration between law enforcement agencies and psychologists in England and Wales

Question 16

what idea is the peace model based on ?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

what are the five principles of the peace model ?

Answer 17

1. Preparation and planning
2. Engage and explain
3. Account, clarification, challenge
4. Closure
5. Evaluate

Question 18

what is ‘preparation and planning’ ?

Answer 18

identifying the key objectives of the interview

Question 19

what is ‘engage and explain’ ?

Answer 19

interviewer actively listens to promote rapport with suspect

Question 20

what is ‘account, clarification, challenge’ ?

Answer 20

interviewer uses open-ended questions to elicit information

Question 21

what is ‘closure’ ?

Answer 21

interviewer gives suspect a chance to ask questions

Question 22

what is ‘evaluate’ ?

Answer 22

reflecting on the interviewer’s performance

Question 23

why are all interviews that adopt the PEACE model recorded ?

Answer 23

in order to maintain transparency, and to ensure that guidelines for proper police conduct are being adhered to

Question 24

what did Memon et al. (1997) find ?

Answer 24

children find some aspects of the Cognitive Interview difficult, e.g. ‘changing perspective’

Question 25

what did Memon et al. (2010) find ?

Answer 25

older adults are more reliable than younger adults, when Cognitive Interview is used.

Question 26

what was the APRC of Geiselman et al. (1985) ?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

what is the supporting evidence for Cognitive Interviews ?

Answer 27

Geiselman et al. (1985)

Question 28

what is the supporting evidence for Ethical Interviews ?

Answer 28

Holmberg and Christianson (2002)

Question 29

what did Holmberg and Christianson (2002) do ?

Answer 29

carried out a study on murderers’ and sexual offenders’ experiences of police interviews and their inclination to admit or deny crimes

Question 30

what did Holmberg and Christianson (2002) find ?

Answer 30

1. found that interviews characterised by intimidation and dominance on the part of the police interviewer were most associated with denials.
2. interviewers marked by respect and positive attitude towards the suspect were most associated with confessions

Question 31

what does Holmberg and Christianson (2002) suggest ?

Answer 31

suggests that EI may result in more persuasive methods

Question 32

what is the competing argument to Holmberg and Christianson (2002) ?

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

what study supports the competing argument to Holmberg and Christianson (2002) ?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

what is a weakness of Cognitive Interviews ?

Answer 34

it may also lead to an increase in the recall of inaccurate information

Question 35

what study supports the weakness of Cognitive interviews ?

Answer 35

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

Question 36

what does Köhnken et al. (1999) suggest ?

Answer 36

suggests that the real strength of CI is that more information is produced overall but a lot of it may be inaccurate

Question 37

what is the application ?

Answer 37

research has shown which combinations of techniques are most effective

Question 38

what did Milne and Bull (2002) find ?

Answer 38

• 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

Question 39

why is Milne and Bull (2002) a strength to the application of CI ?

Answer 39

because it is widely acknowledged that CI is time-consuming so the police can use abridged versions of the CI in some circumstances