improving accuracy of ewt - cognitive interview Flashcards
Fisher and Geiselman
argued that EWT could be improved if police used better interviewing techniques that were based on psychological insights into how memory works.
what is the cognitive interview (CI)?
an improved way of interviewing eye witnesses that is based on how memory works psychologically. it consists of 4 main techniques
what are the for techniques of the CI?
report everything, reinstate the context, reverse the order, change perspective
what is meant by report everything?
witnesses are encouraged to include every detail of the event, even ones they may feel irrelevant, as they could help them to remember more details of the event
what is meant by reinstate the context?
the witness should return to the original crime scene if they can, and if not do so mentally and imagine their emotions at the time. this aims to help with context-dependent forgetting
what is meant by reverse the order?
events should be recalled in a different order from the event, such as in reverse, in order to ensure witnesses are reporting the actual events and being honest
what is meant by change perspective?
recall the incident from other peoples perspectives, such as the perpetrator, to prevent effects of schema on recall
+AO3 - research support Kohnken et al. (1999)
meta-analysis of 55 studies comparing CI with standard police interview. CI gave an average 41% increase in accurate recall. suggests C! is effective in helping witnesses to recall accurate information.
-AO3 - Kohnken et al.
also found an increase in inaccurate information recalled, suggesting that CIs may sacrifice quality of EWT and evidence from CI should be treated with caution.
-AO3 - Milne and Bull, different effectivness
found that each of the four techniques alone produced more information that the standard interview, but a combination of report everything and reinstate the context was the most effective. suggests some aspects of the CI are more useful than others which threatens the credibility of the CI.
-AO3 - practical issues
more time consuming that a standard interview, need to establish rapport, the CI requires special training which many forces do not have the time or resources for. suggests the CI as it exists is not a realistic method for police officers and it may be better to focus on a few key elements.
