interrogator's toolkit Flashcards
What makes you say that?
Assumption Cutter – Exposes the belief behind the statement. Opens the door for contradictions or unsupported claims.
Are you assuming that’s the only reason?
False Choice Reveal – Highlights binary thinking. Opens the narrative to alternative explanations.
How do you know that’s true?
Evidence Demand – Shifts burden of proof. Interrupts confident but baseless claims.
Says who? And how do they know?
Authority Underminer – Challenges source credibility and weakens secondhand logic.
Why is that the frame you’re choosing to use?
Frame Disruption – Forces awareness of perception bias. Makes the subject self-audit.
What happens if we look at it from the other side?
Perspective Flipper – Introduces cognitive dissonance. Softly encourages empathy or re-evaluation.
What’s the cost of holding that belief?
Consequence Revealer – Makes them confront the consequences of staying locked in a belief.
What do you think I’m feeling right now?
Emotional Reversal – Forces them to tune into interpersonal feedback and exposes projection.
What are you hoping I’ll admit?
Motivation Probe – Brings hidden agendas into the open.
If I said nothing, what would that mean to you?
Meaning Trap – Forces subject to reveal assumptions or projections they’re placing on you.
Go on…
Silence Disruptor – Encourages them to fill the silence. Often leads to oversharing or slips.
Interesting. What else?
Layer Extractor – Signals you’re not satisfied with surface-level answers. Extracts more depth.
Let’s go back—why did you say that earlier?
Loop Setter – Reopens earlier comments under new context. Detects inconsistencies.
Do you hear the pattern in your own answer?
Cognitive Mirror – Reflects their speech back at them. Creates self-awareness of defense loops.
You said X, but now you’re saying Y. What changed?
Inconsistency Catcher – Forces them to account for contradiction. Reveals story holes.
Would you want someone to say that to you?
Empathy Redirect – Challenges ethical stance via emotional role reversal.
So if you felt that way, how would you respond?
Power Switch – Forces them into your shoes. Great for moral and logic testing.
Flip roles—what would you advise me to do?
Advice Mirror – Externalizes the dilemma. Cuts through bias by reframing from their own logic.
I don’t follow. Can you walk me through it slowly?
Feign Ignorance – Lowers their guard. Makes them explain things plainly—often revealing flaws.
That sounds important. Why did you say it like that?
Tone Interrogation – Uncovers subtext or emotional leakage hidden in phrasing.
What does that mean to you?
Subjective Anchor – Clarifies how they interpret abstract or emotionally charged words.
