Improving accuracy of eyewitness - cognitive interview

Question 1

Cognitive interview

Answer 1

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

Question 2

Ronald Fisher and Edward Geiselman (1992)

Answer 2

EWT could be improved if the police used better techniques when interviewing witnesses

Question 3

Four main techniques of cognitive interview

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Report everything

Answer 4

Witnesses are encouraged to recall every single detail of the event no matter how significant it might appear. It doesn’t matter how confident the witness it, these details might trigger other memories.

Question 5

Reinstate the context

Answer 5

Witnesses are encouraged to return to the context in their mind and picture the environment, what they could see and how they were feeling

Question 6

Reverse the order

Answer 6

Witnesses must do this to prevent expectation of what happened influencing their recall, or to prevent dishonesty. It’s harder to someone to recall events in a different order.