Improving the Accuracy of Eyewitness Testimony - Cognitive Interview

Question 1

What is the cognitive Interview?

Answer 1

A method of interviewing eyewitnesses, which is thought to be effective in increasing the rates of accurate recall

Question 2

What are the 4 steps of the CI?

Answer 2

• Report Everything
• Reinstate the context
• Change the perspective
• Reverse the order

Question 3

Explain report everything

Answer 3

Even insignificant details can be important in triggering the recall of larger events, acting as a cue

Question 4

Explain reinstate the context

Answer 4

Recalling the weather, location and mood of the day preventing context - dependent forgetting by reminding the eyewitness of their external cues at the time

Question 5

Explain change the perspective

Answer 5

Recalling events from the perspective of the victim or persecutor prevents the eyewitness’ account being affected by their own schemas or pre-concivevd perceptions of how the crime in their opinion happened

Question 6

Explain reverse the order

Answer 6

Recalling events in a different order than chronological reduces the ability of the eyewitness to lie and reduces the impact of schemas on their perception of events

Question 7

Who and when was the CI developed?

Answer 7

Fisher - 1987

Question 8

What does the CI do?

Answer 8

Focuses on the social dynamics of the interactions between the eyewitness and interviewer - eg knowing when to make and lose eye contact increasing the report of the eyewitness

Question 9

Give a -of the CI (LPV)

Answer 9

Has little practical value as it’s too time consuming and requires specialist skills. Its argued that a few hours of training isn’t enough to train interviewers, especially for the enhanced social understanding required. Therefore, this lack of time for training explains why some forces are unimpressed with the CI

Question 10

Give a - of the CI (IGIB)

Answer 10

It increases correct information by 81% but also increases incorrect recall by 61%. Considering the aim was to improve recall accuracy and increases to increase the reliability of the eyewitness testimony as a whole make sit bad

Question 11

Give a + of the CI(NNFA)

Answer 11

You don’t need to use all of the cognitive interview to feel the benefits, context reinstatement and report everything produced the greatest accuracy of recall of correct information as a combination of steps . This means that if police don’t have enough. time to train the entire force in all 4 steps, even gradual changes increase accuracy and recall