Improving accuracy of EWT: Cognitive interview

Question 1

What is the cognitive interview?

Answer 1

A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories.

Question 2

What are the 4 main techniques used in the cognitive interview?

Answer 2

1 - Report everything,
2 - Reinstate the context,
3 - Reverse the order,
4 - Change perspective.

Question 3

Which psychologists designed the cognitive interview?

Answer 3

Ronald Fisher and Edward Geiselman (1987).

Question 4

What is What are the two principles of the cognitive interview?

Answer 4

1) Organisation;
- memories are organised to be accessed in many ways.
- A series of actions and cues can aid recall.
2) Cue-dependency;
- Memories are context-dependant: there are situational and emotional cues present during coding.
- Easier to recall when cues present: imagine being at the scene.

Question 5

What is reinstating the context?

Answer 5

Encouraging witnesses to go back in their mind to the crime scene and imagine the environment.

Question 6

Which technique is being used when the witness is asked to try and remember what they were wearing and how they were feeling?

Answer 6

Reinstating the context.

Question 7

Which technique is related to context-dependant forgetting?

Answer 7

Reinstating the context - This encourages the witness to go back and imagine their surrounding environment and all of the external cues that could trigger memory.

Question 8

What is changing the narrative order?

Answer 8

Changing the order in which events occurred in a different chronological order to the original sequence.

Question 9

Which technique helps to remove dishonesty?

Answer 9

Changing the narrative order, this is because it is hard to produce an untruthful account if you have to reverse it.

Question 10

Which technique is being used when the witness is asked to recall the events from the final point back to the begging?

Answer 10

Reversing the order.

Question 11

What is changing the perspective?

Answer 11

When the witness is being asked to describe the event from someone else’s perspective.

Question 12

How can changing the narrative order help aid memory?

Answer 12

This is done to prevent people from reporting their expectations of the event rather than the actual events It also prevents dishonesty as it is hard to produce an untruthful account if you have to reverse it.

Question 13

Why is changing the perspective done?

Answer 13

This is done to disrupt the effect of expectations and schema on recall.

Question 14

How can reinstating the context aid memory?

Answer 14

Certain external cues may trigger the memory that would otherwise be forgotten.

Question 15

Which technique is being used when the witness is asked to recall the events from the perspective of the perpetrator?

Answer 15

Changing the perspective.

Question 16

What is reporting everything?

Answer 16

Witnesses are encouraged to include every single detail of the event, even though they may seem irrelevant.

Question 17

How can reporting everything be beneficial?

Answer 17

The minor details that seem irrelevant can be expanded upon and trigger larger, more significant details.

Question 18

What is the ECI?

Answer 18

Enhanced Cognitive Interview (ECI) - It is an amended version of the CI which builds a trusting relationship between the witness and interviewer to increase communication.

Question 19

Which technique is being used when the witness is being asked to recall the events from the middle point back to the begging?

Answer 19

Reversing the order.

Question 20

Which technique is being used when the witness is asked to recall the events from the perspective of another witness?

Answer 20

Changing the perspective.

Question 21

Who created the ECI?

Answer 21

Fisher et al. (1987).

Question 22

What is the main difference between the ECI and the CI?

Answer 22

The ECI adds interpersonal elements that focus on the social dynamics of the interaction, for example when to establish eye contact and when to relinquish it.

Question 23

The ECI aims to form an interpersonal relationship between the interviewer and witness, why would this be beneficial?

Answer 23

Because it reduces eyewitness anxiety and allows them to ‘open-up’ more to the interviewer without the fear of judgement.

Question 24

AO3 - The CI is time-consuming.

Answer 24

Police may be reluctant to use the CI because it takes much more time than the standard police interview, it also requires specialist training and many forces have not been able to provide more than a few hours of training (Kebbel and Wagstaff 1996)

Question 25

AO3 - Effectiveness of the ECI.

Answer 25

Kohnken et al. (1999)conducted a meta-analysis of 53 studies and found an average increase of 34% in the amount of correct information gathered in the ECI compared to standard techniques.

Question 26

AO3 - CI can create inaccurate information.

Answer 26

Kohnken et al. (1999) found an 81% increase of correct information, but also a 61% increase of incorrect information (false positives).

Question 27

AO3 - Some elements more valuable.

Answer 27

Milne and Bull (2002) found that each individual element was uniquely valuable, however, they found a combination of ‘report everything’ and ‘reinstate context’ produced better recall than any other conditions.

Question 28

AO3 - Not suitable fore children.

Answer 28

Holliday (2003) modified the CI to be suitable for children, he removed perspective changing as children are ego-centric and can only think for themselves.