Improving accuracy of EWT: Cognitive interview

Question 1

What is cognitive interview

Answer 1

Fisher and Geiselman (1992)

• method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories
• uses main techniques based on psychological knowledge of human memory

Question 2

What are the 4 stages

Answer 2

1. report everything
2. reinstate the context
3. reverse the order
4. change perspective

Question 3

Report everything

Answer 3

• witnesses = include every single detail
• even if it’s irrelevant or witness doesn’t feel confident about it
• may trigger other memories

Question 4

Reinstate the context

Answer 4

• witness returns to OG crime scene in their head

- imagine environment eg: weather, what they could see, emotions they felt

Question 5

Reverse order

Answer 5

• events = recalled in diff chronological order to the OG sequence
• done to prevent ppl reporting their expectations of how event occurred rather than actual event
• prevents DISHONESTY

Question 6

Change perspective

Answer 6

• recall incident from other ppl’s perspective
• eg: instead of viewed from witness, viewed from perpetrator
• schema you have for a particular setting (going into shop) generate expectations of what would have happened and it’s schema that is recalled rather than what ACTUALLY happened

Question 7

ECI: enhanced cognitive interview

Answer 7

Fisher et al.

• made up additional elements of CI to focus on social dynamics of interaction
• eg: interviewer must know when to establish eye contact and when to stop it
• ECI also includes: reducing EW anxiety, minimising distractions, getting witness to speak slowly and asking open-ended Qs

Question 8

Evaluation: CI is time consuming (negative)

Answer 8

• takes a lot more time than standard police interview
• more time needed to relax witness
• CI requires training
• unlikely that the ‘proper’ version of CI is used

Question 9

Evaluation: Support for effectiveness of ECI (positive)

Answer 9

• meta-analysis by Kohnken et al. (1999) combined data from 50 studies
• ECI provided MORE correct info than police standard interviews
• indicate real practical benefits
• gives police a greater chance of catching criminals (beneficial to society as a whole)