Eye Witness Testimonys

Question 1

What is the cognitive interview?

Answer 1

a questioning technique used by the police to enhance retrieval of information about a crime scene from the eyewitnesses and victim’s memory.

Question 2

What are the five stages of a cognitive interview?

Answer 2

Report everything 
Reinstate the context 
Reverse the order 
Change perspective 
Enhanced cognitive interview

Question 3

What does the ‘report everything’ stage mean?

Answer 3

Witnesses are encouraged to include every detail of an event, even if it seems irrelevant or the witness is not confident about it. may trigger other memories.

Question 4

What does the ‘reinstate the context’ stage mean?

Answer 4

The witness returns to the original crime scene in the mind and imagines the environment and their emotions. Cues from the context may trigger recall.

Question 5

What does ‘reverse the order’ mean?

Answer 5

Events are recalled in a different chronological order. This prevents people using their expectations of how the event must have happened

Question 6

What does ‘change the perspective’ mean?

Answer 6

Witnesses recall the incident from other peoples perspective.

Question 7

What does ‘enhanced cognitive interview’ mean?

Answer 7

The included a focus on the social dynamics of the interaction. includes ideas such as reducing the eyewitness anxiety, minimising distractions, and asking open ended questions.

Question 8

Who proposed the cognitive interview?

Answer 8

Fisher and Geiselman

Question 9

What did fisher and Geiselman recommend about CI?

Answer 9

such techniques should be based on psychological insights into how memory works

Question 10

CIT Mixed - +support for effectiveness

Answer 10

From Geiselman et al, pps watched police training films and questioned using standard interview, hypnosis and CIT. In CIT condition produced hughest no of correct responses. Increases validity.
- BUT must question mundane realism of artificial situation. Pps aware undertaking psychological experi so had higher level of focus and lower anxiety. Reduces support for effectiveness in real.

Question 11

Effectiveness for each Individual element.

Answer 11

Milne and Bulk found all 4 components improved witness recall compared to a standard interview. Also combo of context reinstatement and report everything produces highest recall.
But time to conduct, police not always available. Proper version not being used? Reduced real world app.