Improving The Accuracy Of EWT

Question 1

Standard Interviews

Answer 1

• Questions are not in sequential order.
• It feels more interrogatory and formal.
• Police will interrupt EWT.
• They will cross-question to check for inconsistencies.
• Police may end up asking leading questions.

Question 2

Problems with standard interviews

Answer 2

• Interruptions and lack of sequential order can reduce the flow of memory recall. Less information given.
• Lack of trust/rapport and hence less likely to speak openly.
• Leading questions can lead to false memories.
• Children are susceptible to changing their answers under cross-questions making their testimony unreliable.

Question 3

Cognitive Interviews

Answer 3

• Recall everything.
• Reinstatement of context.
• Reverse the order.
• Change perspective.

Question 4

Evaluation support cognitive interviews- more accurate

Answer 4

• Cognitive interview is more accurate.
• Ev- Simulated crime: used cognitive interview, standard interview and hypnosis. Found more accurate recall with cognitive interview.
• Ex- Therefore, cognitive interview is more effective in getting reliable EWT. Research found it also increases the amount of information recalled.
• However, lack of ecological validity, as no consequences to incorrectly recalling, different in a real crime situation. Furthermore, cognitive interview may gather more information but its gather more inaccurate information than standard interview.

Question 5

Evaluation support cognitive interview- element of cognitive interview used

Answer 5

• However, it depends on the element of the cognitive interview that is used.
• Ev- Recall everything and context reinstatement was the most preferred by police and seemed to be the most effective.
• Ex- The cognitive interview as a whole lacks accuracy and is particularly ineffective in the more challenging elements of changing perspective and context reinstatement.
• Therefore, better if only 2 elements, it also reduces the time taken to complete a cognitive interview.

Question 6

Evaluation criticism cognitive interview- Problems in completing training

Answer 6

• On the other hand, there are problems in completing training and time taken to do the training.
• Ev- Not all police are trained as it is expensive to do so. Also, it means that whilst training they are not being used to reduce offending.
• Ex- Therefore, cognitive interview lacks usefulness as if there are few police then not employed in majority of crimes. Therefore, standard interview is more used by police and hence usefulness.
• Moreover, changing perspective and reversing the order are not good with children. They have not developed the ability to perspective take or abstract think until they are at least 7 years of age.