Improving The Accuracy Of Eyewitness Testimony: Cognitive Interview

Question 1

What did Fisher and Geiselman argue?

Answer 1

That EWT could be improved if the police used better techniques when interviewing witnesses.

Question 2

What did Fisher and Geiselman suggest techniques should be based on?

Answer 2

Psychological insights into how memory works - cogntiive interview.

Question 3

4 main techniques in CI

Answer 3

1. Report everything.
2. Reinstate the context.
3. Reverse the order.
4. Change perspective.

Question 4

Report everything

Answer 4

• Witnesses encouraged to include every detail even though it may seem irrelevant or if witnesses don’t feel confident about it.
• Trivial details may be important and trigger other memories.

Question 5

Reinstate the context

Answer 5

• Witnesses should return the original scene in their mind and imagine the environment and their emotions.
• Related to context dependent forgetting.

Question 6

Reverse the order

Answer 6

• Events recalled in a different order from the original sequence.
• Prevents people reporting their expectations of how the event must have happened.
• Also prevents dishonesty.

Question 7

Change perspective

Answer 7

• Recall incident from another persons perspective.
• Disrupts expectations and the effect of schema on recall - schema for a particular setting generates expectations o what would have happened and the schema is recalled rather than what actually happens.

Question 8

What did Fisher develop?

Answer 8

Additional elements to CI which focuses on the social dynamics of the interaction.

Question 9

What does enhanced CI include?

Answer 9

Ideas such as reducing eyewitness anxiety, minimising distractions, getting witnesses to speak slowly and asking open-ended questions.

Question 10

Evaluation: Evidence it works

Answer 10

• A meta-analysis combined data from 55 studies comparing CI with standard police interview.
• Found CI gave an average 41% increase in accurate info.
• Shows CI is effective in helping witnesses recall events.

Question 11

Evidence: not all elements are equally effective/ useful

Answer 11

• Psychologists found each of the 4 techniques alone produced more info than a standard police interview but they also found that using a combo of report everything and reinstate the context produced better recall than any other element.
• Casts doubt on the credibility of the overall cognitive interview.

Question 12

Evidence: Police officers may be reluctant to use CI because it takes more time and training

Answer 12

• More time is needed to establish rapport with a witness and allow them to relax.
• CI requires special training and many forces don’t have the resources to provide more than a few hours.
• Suggests CI isn’t realistic and it might be better to focus on just a few key elements.

Question 13

Evaluation: Increased inaccurate information recalled by ppts.

Answer 13

• Particularly an issue with ECI which produced more incorrect details than the CI.
• CI interviews may sacrifice EWT in favour of quantity.
• This means police officers should treat eyewitness evidence from CIs/ ECIs with caution