improving the accuracy of EWT - cognitive interview

Question 1

what is the cognitive interview

Answer 1

a questioning technique designed to improve the information that an eyewitness can retrieve about a crime

Question 2

what are the 4 parts of the cognitive interview

Answer 2

• reinstate context = links to retrieval failure, can think of external environment or how they felt internally to trigger recall of memories
• report everything = not to filter out or select what information to report, smaller details could help trigger recall of other memories
• reverse the order = to counteract problems with schemas creating errors, or to counteract recency effect were most recent events are more remembered
• change perspective = trying to recall from perspective of others that were present, disrupt effect of schemas

Question 3

what was added in the enhanced cognitive interview and by who

Answer 3

• Ronald Fisher
• interviewer should build a rapport with EW so they feel psychologically comfortable to discuss the difficult topics

Question 4

support for cognitive interview

Answer 4

• Geiselman et al = increase in accurate information
  Ps watched police training films of simulated crimes, interviewed 48 hours later using standard interview or cognitive interview, avg. number of correct items recalled = 29.4 standard and 41.2 cognitive
• Fisher et al = more info and more accurate info
  7 trained detectives in CI vs 9 non-trained, trained produced 63% more information with over 90% accuracy

Question 5

limitations of cognitive interview

Answer 5

• Kohnken et al = CI did lead to an increase in accurate information, enhanced CI produced more errors than regular CI
• time consuming = takes time to conduct and takes time to train
• economical implications = cost of training officers to conduct the interview