Improving The Accuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony

Question 1

What is a schema?

Answer 1

A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing

Question 2

What is a cognitive interview?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

What are the 4 techniques used during a cognitive interview?

Answer 3

• Context reinstatement
• Report everything
• Recall in reverse order
• Recall from a changed perspective

Question 4

What is context reinstatement?

Answer 4

Requires witnesses to mentally recreate an image of the situation, including details of the environment, such as the weather conditions, and the individual’s emotional state, including their feelings at the time of the incident

Question 5

Why does context reinstatement work?

Answer 5

It provides emotional and contextual cues making the memories more accessible

Question 6

What is report everything?

Answer 6

Requires witnesses to report all details about the event, even though these details may seem unimportant

Question 7

Why does report everything work?

Answer 7

Certain memories that witnesses may overlook as significant might act as retrieval cues for other memories

Question 8

What is recall in reverse order?

Answer 8

Requires witnesses to recall the scene in a different chronological order for example from the end to the beginning

Question 9

Why does recall in reverse order work?

Answer 9

Reduces the impact of schemas on the perception of events. As well as the fact it’s more difficult to lie if they reverse the order

Question 10

What is recall from a changed perspective?

Answer 10

Requires witnesses to try to mentally recreate the situation from different points of view for example describing what another witness present at the scene would have seen

Question 11

Why does recall from a changed perspective work?

Answer 11

Disrupts the effect of expectations and schema on recall

Question 12

What are the differences between a standard interview and a cognitive interview?

Answer 12

Free recall of event - Recall in the context the event occurred
Specific questions asked - Wider questions asked such as environmental or emotional factors
Not as effective in helping the witness recall accurate information - More accurate in helping the witness recall accurate information
No specialist training needed to conduct this interview - Specialist training needed to conduct this interview

Question 13

What are the features of an enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 13

• Avoid direct questions
• Avoid interruptions
• Encourage the witness to relax and speak slowly
• The witness is asked not to guess any answers and say don’t know if they are not sure of an answer

Question 14

Give evaluations of the cognitive interview

Answer 14

(-) Not All Police Forces Use The Same Procedures
- A limitation of the cognitive interview is that police forces use different procedures
- For example, Thames Valley Police do not use the ‘changed perspective’ component, while others focus only on ‘context reinstatement’ and ‘report everything’
- This limits real-life research on the cognitive interview’s effectiveness, as inconsistent procedures make it difficult to evaluate, and some versions may be more effective than others
- Therefore, as we cannot know how effective it is in its entirety, this weakens its validity.
(-) Time Consuming
- A limitation of the cognitive interview is that it is time consuming
- It takes longer to conduct than a standard police interview and requires specialist training for officers to use the method effectively
- This is a limitation because it means the proper cognitive interview is rarely used, reducing its overall effectiveness
- Therefore, the cognitive interview may be less practical for widespread use in real-world situations