Improving the accuracy of EWT: COGNITIVE INTERVIEW

Question 1

Cognitive Interview

Answer 1

• proposed by Fisher and Geizelman
  1) Reprt everything
  2) Reinstating the context
  3) Reverse the order
  4) Change perspective

Question 2

Report everything

Answer 2

interviewer encourages the reporting of every single detail of the event, even though it may be irrelevant
such detail may trigger other memories

Question 3

Reinstating the context

Answer 3

interviewee mentally reinstates the environmental context of the incident e.g. sights, sounds, weather etc
based on the retrieval failure/context dependent forgetting principles that will trigger recall

Question 4

Reverse the order

Answer 4

events should be recalled in a different order to original sequence e.g. from end to start
reduces the possibility that recall may be influenced by schema/experience

Question 5

The enhanced cognitive interview

Answer 5

• cognitive interview regarded as too simple so criticism led to:
• Fisher et al developed additional elements of the cognitive interview
  1) Ask the witness to speak slowly
  2) Ask open-ended questions
  3) Adapt language to suit witness
  4) Take steps to reduce anxiety of witness- allow for pauses and breaks

Question 6

Evaluation

Answer 6

• Time consuming
  + Supportive evidence + Real- life application
  + Real application
• Difficult to measure its usefulness

Question 7

Time consuming

Answer 7

compared to a standard police interview, it takes longer
* for example, more time is needed to establish rapport (trusting relationship) with the witness and allow them to relaxand cognitive interview requires special training which takes time and is expensive

Question 8

Supportive evidence

Answer 8

Konnken et al carried out a meta-analysis of 50 students and found that the enhanced cognitive interview consistently provided more correct information. Cognitive interview has real practical benefits to the police
- found 81% increase of correct information but also a 61% increase of incorrect information when cognitve interview was compared to standard interview

Question 9

Real life application

Answer 9

Milne and Bull (2002) found that all elements of cognitive interview are useful and do work although reporting everything and context reinstatement seem to be more valuable than others. This means that these 2 elements could be used everywhere even if some police forces cannot use the full cognitive interview

Question 10

Difficult to measure its usefulness

Answer 10

• Difficult to study the effectiveness of cognitive interview because police forces dont always use it in the same way- they evolve their own metjods or vary the cognitive interview techniques